Unbroken
by SerenityVerdant
Summary: After Kagome is brutally attacked, she struggles to return to normal, especially when she keeps seeing her attacker everywhere, even in her dreams. Her shattered spirit leaves her weakened, but with her friends help, she keeps moving forward. When things finally seem to settle, dangerous facts are revealed and a broken Kagome is forced into a new life that she never wanted.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning:** While this warning is in my profile, since most people don't look at them, I'll set this warning here: It's rated M for a reason and that reason shows up in chapter one. Rape is a subject and scene(s) in this story. Later on, there will be elements of sex, possible graphic violence. I don't know where this story is going to take us.

 **A/N #1:** I don't like asking for reviews, so at the beginning of this story is the only time you'll see this request. Please review if you do enjoy the story to let me know that it is liked. Stories that get no feedback don't continue. So far, I have appreciated the reviews that I have received.

 **A/N #2:** To my followers, if an early chapter gets an update, **I have not changed the story.** This means I reread the story to remember what happened and noticed way too many mistakes. One of my common mistakes is writing "once" instead of "one." I know constant grammar and spelling mistakes can ruin the flow of a story, so I try to avoid them.

Chapter One: Furious Frenzy

In the lives of demons, there are elements of their existence that the rest of the world is unaware of. It is an unwritten rule that demons do not speak of these embarrassing secrets. For example, when a demon mates with another, the female must be marked in order to claim them. This is their form of marriage, but is much more powerful. In most cases, this is done through a bite and it causes a supernatural mark to be placed on the female mate. Though the mark is normally unseen, there are rituals to prove that the Mark of the Mate has been placed on an individual. These marks don't have to happen willingly, as male demons are said to have whatever they wish.

Another example is that when a male demon has not found at least one mate by a certain age, primal instincts take over. If these instincts are fought, their inner demon may take over and force them to seek a mate out and take them with or without their permission. These incidents are disgraceful and can ruin the reputation of an entire family if revealed. They're called demonic frenzies. When a demon goes into a frenzy, they will take any female that comes along their path or take a female that has been on their mind. It really doesn't matter as long as the deed is done. During a frenzy it is possible for a Mark to be placed and this forced bonding is bad news.

This is why Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, was recently told by an old elderly advisor of his Father's that if he did not choose to take a mate soon, it was possible he won't be able to hold off his inner demon. He could hurt a member of his staff, an enemy he fights, or even the young Rin. The thought of taking a child disgusted him, whether she was human or not. However, the thought of him losing control like that was almost as bad. He didn't believe he'd ever fall into a frenzy, ever. To Sesshomaru, he was too strong for that.

The last couple of weeks left Sesshomaru in a strange predicament. There was a persisting pain knocking at the back of his skull. His nights were filled with dark images of him on a rampage through human and demon villages alike. He dreamt that he attacked Rin. Luckily, he woke up before anything got graphic. The last straw was when he, Rin, Ah'Un, and Jaken came across a human woman that needed assistance and he felt a rush that dishonored his very being. He couldn't take the chance any longer. Sesshomaru rushed to the edge of the Western Lands where his palace stood and left Rin where she'd be safe. Though Jaken resisted his orders to stay, he was left with Ah'Un at the palace too. For the first time in his life, Sesshomaru was uncertain of how much control he had over himself. Fear gripped him as he left his lands for safer venues. The farther he was, the safer Rin and his companions would be.

Much further inland than the Western Castle, Sesshomaru found himself sitting alone in a thick forest with sweat dripping down his face. Every day was a battle for him now. He fought off his inner demon each moment of the day, fearing the moment he'd give in. His desperation was increasing by the day, yet another state that he was ashamed of. Sesshomaru was not the type to feel weak, helpless as his own mind and body fought against him. He could never be seen like this. The deeper he went into the forest, the more clouded his mind became.

The silence was broken when Sesshomaru's senses were suddenly struck by the scent of a familiar female and his heart instantly skipped a beat. It was the human woman, Kagome. He'd never admit it, but he feared what may happen next if she continued closing in on his location. Why was she coming this way? Where was Inuyasha? He couldn't smell his brother. Sesshomaru had a hard time standing up and the moment he got to his feet her scent carried along a breeze and struck him harder. He brought his hand to his face, trying to fight the dangerous urges that were quickly overtaking him. He stepped away from the direction she was coming, but she was closing in quickly. Was she running from something?

The "why" of this matter left his mind as visions of Kagome in vulgar states that he never wished to see her in plagued his mind. Disgusted in himself for but a moment, yet another push of her scent on his sanity brought Sesshomaru to the very edge of his sanity. There was something more here, more than what he expected. Of course, the human wench was prime for mating… She was "in heat" so to speak. That was it. Realizing that sent his inner demon into overdrive and his eyes turned red, his nails and fangs grew, and his demonic aura washed over the land like a wave over shore. Sesshomaru rushed toward his new target, no longer in control of himself, his mind in nothing but blackness as instinct took over.

 _ **In the Inuyasha Forest…**_

"Let me guess, Inuyasha ran off once again?" Kagome sighed in irritation. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo all nodded. Inuyasha and Kagome just had a massive argument about whether she should be allowed to go home again and was forced to stay here. She had a big exam she had been studying for whenever she had a chance and she wouldn't be able to take it if she stayed. He yells and argues with her for over an hour about leaving when we had jewel shards to find and then runs off again?

"I can only guess where he went." Kagome said sarcastically and walked out of Kaede's hut. Sango and Miroku looked to stop her, but she was off before they got the chance. The three looked worriedly to each other. They saw a Soul Collector when Inuyasha ran off, so the three knew where Inuyasha was off to, but they doubted that Kagome did. This was going to get ugly.

Kagome ran off to the Forest of Inuyasha and heading toward the Bone Eater's Well. When she got there, she looked around to find Inuyasha, but saw nothing. She continued off toward the Sacred Tree, stopping as she came to the clearing where it stood. Inuyasha wasn't there either, at least, she thought he wasn't. A strange sound caught the edge of Kagome's hearing through a few trees, so Kagome snuck her way over. She leaned around to peak passed a tree only to instantly have her heart shattered into pieces.

Standing there in the clearing was Inuyasha and Kikyo. The two stood in an embrace, standing closer to each other than Kagome ever had a chance to stand with him. Kikyo had her face nuzzled into Inuyasha's neck as he was stroking her hair. His trance was only broken when he caught a familiar scent on the wind. It was similar to Kikyo's, but not exactly the same. He slowly shifted his gaze over to Kagome, his eyes widening as he had been caught with Kikyo yet again. The look of betrayal in Kagome's eyes said it all. Kagome looked him directly in the eyes and shook her head before turning away from the couple and walking off. Inuyasha didn't chase after her, at least not immediately.

Kagome ran through the forest with tears in her eyes. She didn't realize that she wasn't going a known direction. She was heading west, ignorant of the trouble she was heading into. She didn't care either. She didn't want to go back to Kaede's hut and had also promised not to go home yet. They just gotten a small lead on a couple of jewel shards in the east and were stopping only for a rest. Even if that were the case, she couldn't go back now. She had to get away from Inuyasha for a while to make an important decision.

Kagome didn't realize how far or long she had run. When she finally stopped and wiped her face, she realized that the sun had set. The forest was dangerously dark and hard to see in. She looked around, trying to get some sort of bearing. She looked up to the sky to get a glimpse of the stars to guess a way home, but only saw the leaves of trees.

"What do I do now?" she asked out loud. She had nothing with her. She didn't have any supplies or her bow and arrows. She was in a risky situation.

There was a small rustle in the trees in front of her. She looked over and saw something dash out at her in a streak of white. Kagome was suddenly on the ground, pinned by an incredible strength. When she opened her eyes and looked up, a few inches away from her face was Sesshomaru. Her heart raced as she accepted her inevitable death, but death did not come. It was like they were frozen in time, a condition brought on by the stillness of the demon on top of her.

"Sesshomaru?" she finally forced the whimper from her lips, terror shaking her voice. The sound of her voice seemed to be what triggered the oncoming assault. Sesshomaru went on a rampage, tearing at Kagome's clothing like a starving dog would a meal, his nails grazing her skin and cutting her. Within seconds, she was nude beneath his stature, his silk clothing running along the inside of her bare thighs. It arose a fear Kagome never thought she'd feel. There was only one reason to strip a woman of her clothing like this.

"Sesshomaru… please." Kagome whispered desperately, her heart racing so fast that she could feel the beats pulsing along the surface of her skin. She felt one tear fall down the side of her face. She couldn't find the courage to cry. Her plea came on deaf ears as he lowered himself onto her. Never before had she felt the male body this close. She didn't know when he revealed his lower self and she feared actually looking down to Sesshomaru's dick. She felt the tip touch the middle of her being. The brief contact sent Kagome into her fight or flight instincts. She kicked her legs, swung herself left and right, and desperately tried getting some sort of control of her body. He had her pinned good.

Without warning, Kagome's lower body was forced wide open by the unwanted intrusion of this demon's large shaft. She felt every inch of Sesshomaru stab its way into her core, slamming into the very edge of her womb. There was a moment she wondered whether he would puncture her with the amount of strength he put behind that very first thrust, but instead he slid back out and started his own rough rhythm of demonic dominance. With her wrists pinned at sides of her head, Kagome looked off into the darkness of the forest, focusing on a single point as if she were going to see Inuyasha come to rescue her. Inuyasha wasn't coming and Kagome was at the mercy of his older brother. The only thing Kagome could do was lay there, her body being pushed deeper into the dirt with every destructive thrust he made.

Sesshomaru was lost in the blind enraged instinct of his inner demon, his mind gone and forced into the abyss of his own psyche. His body was acting on nothing but instinct now, pinning his victim to the ground, he ravaged the petite female body like a wild animal, sliding his erect dick inside his feminine prey with no care of who or what he was fucking. The act of mating was all he needed, the release and pleasure being the goal of this night. How long did this go on? He wouldn't know. Sesshomaru's body moved for as long as he needed to, which was no less than two hours. He forced Kagome's body into different positions. She was on her back, on her stomach, on her knees, and even against one of the nearby trees.

When Sesshomaru was finally finished and the buildup of pleasure reached it's peak, Kagome showed the first sign of life since it all began with a horrible high-pitched shriek that came from Sesshomaru biting deep into her neck. What felt like acid seeped into the wound and she tried to fight against this new pain. It was worse than anything he had done to her up until this point, which was saying something since he used her like a sex doll. Once his fangs slid out from her skin, the two collapsed into the dirt, Sesshomaru's sweaty exhausted body overtaking Kagome's defiled form. Both were trying to catch their breaths and soon Sesshomaru fell unconscious on top of her.

Kagome was too weak to push him off of her, so it was a couple more hours before Sesshomaru finally came back to his senses and woke up in the middle of the scene. His eyes slowly opened and he felt slightly weak. His vision was blurred and he had a difficult time moving or focusing on anything. It did not take him long to realize he was not laying on the ground and was only partially clothed. He hesitated getting up, when a terrible feeling toward what he was about to discover came to mind. He finally gathered his own courage, knowing that no matter what he found, he would have to kill whoever ended up his prey. He just wasn't expecting it to be her…

Sesshomaru pushed his upper body up enough to take a look at the face of the woman he had taken, and for the first time in his life, he realized that he had seriously miscalculated. It wasn't a demon, it wasn't a stranger, it wasn't even an ally… Instead, he had taken the human wench that belonged to his younger half-breed brother. Had he just raped a woman that laid with his younger brother? A feeling of disgust overtook Sesshomaru's mind and body as he moved to stand. In his movements, he realized that his dick was still touching her and he jumped away from her nude body.

"What the hell… am I going to do now?" Sesshomaru asked himself as he ripped a piece of his kimono and wiped her filth from his lower body, tossing the fabric to the side. Kagome began to move, so Sesshomaru covered himself up quickly. She sat up and looked warily at him. There was an extremely awkward silence between the two that carried on for too long.

"Are you… done… with me?" Kagome asked, but it sounded more like a prayer. Sesshomaru stayed silent, glaring angrily at her. Seeing his glare, she started to shake again and he calmed down, doing his best to keep his composure. In the end, he was the one that violated her.

"This was not intentional." Sesshomaru finally spoke up, seeing her flinch and shake merely by hearing the sound of his voice, "I was not in control of my body." Kagome looked up to him in shock, a bit of life and color returning to the brown eyes that Sesshomaru temporarily killed last night. She obviously wanted some sort of explanation. "I'm sure Inuyasha has not spoke of such things as he does not have to deal with it. He likely does not know of it. Full-demons, like myself, have a time in their lives that they will lose control of their body and mind because they have yet to take a mate. The lesser demons you see thousands of don't deal with this because they're mindless and mate like it'll give them power, w-…"

"Wait a minute…" Kagome interrupted, receiving a death-glare from Sesshomaru. She choked up and froze, trying to speak with the fire and confidence she usually spoke with, but couldn't bring it out. Sesshomaru saw this and raised an eyebrow. He could only wonder how negatively this event will have impacted them both.

"Speak." Sesshomaru said as calmly as he could.

"I, um… So, that happened because you haven't mated with anyone?" she asked. Her original question was going to be worded much more rudely, but _'you mean that happened because you haven't gotten laid before?'_ may have been a dangerous way of asking someone as strong as Sesshomaru a question.

"Correct." he replied with a solid nod.

"Wow." Kagome lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

"What?" Sesshomaru demanded an answer with a single word.

"I just… I guess I figured that you had women throwing themselves at you." she explained.

"I do. They're unworthy."

"But I am?" Kagome said, scratching at her neck.

"Do not flatter yourself." Sesshomaru spat the words with a threatening tone, "As I explained, this was not intentional. Mating with a human is disgraceful, but forcing one in this manner is disgusting."

Silence fell between them again. Sesshomaru watched Kagome sit there, still nude and not even trying to change that fact, while dazing out and looking around the forest like a lost and confused pup. The more he watched her, the more frustrated he got with the situation. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Do not speak of this to anyone." Sesshomaru demanded.

"You're not going to kill me?" she asked, still scratching at her neck.

"Excuse me?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"I figured you'd kill me, but you're not. Why would you let me live if this is worse than disgraceful?"

"Is that why you're so silent? You assume I am to kill you?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome was right, of course. When he opened his eyes, he knew he'd be killing whoever it was that he had taken. He had fallen to the very thing he was warned of. Even he could not fight his natural instinct.

"I don't know…" she lowered her gaze to her knees. In that moment, she realized she was naked, but didn't feel the urge to cover herself. She just looked around the forest again, her expression becoming more distorted with sadness as each second passed them by. "Pl-Please… Please kill me." Kagome suddenly burst into tears and bowed her nude body to Sesshomaru, pleading with him.

"What? You wish to die?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.

"Yes! I can't live like this!" Kagome yelled, choking through her sobbing words, "I can't keep watching Inuyasha run off with Kikyo! I can't keep leaving my family! I can't keep running after the jewel shards for someone who doesn't care enough to consider my feelings!" Kagome brought her hands to her face, crying heavily into her palms for a few more moments, only being watched by the cold stare of the demon lord who raped her, "I could deal with it before because I thought I had a chance… a chance to prove to him that I was worth his time, that I could compete with her, but now… How would you feel if you found out that your closest friend's virginity was taken by the half-brother that hates you?"

The stoic and uncaring expression that Sesshomaru always wore vanished. He took a moment to consider what she said. He imagined finding someone, a beautiful demon woman he had chosen to stand by his side. Then he imagined Inuyasha defiling her in the same manner that he had just done Kagome. His heart filled with rage. He understood her pain a bit more. Not only did she feel like he robbed her of the chance to be with the man she loved, but he had taken her purity, a valued attribute even in the demon world.

"Disgusting…" Sesshomaru muttered, but Kagome heard it. Seeing the horrified look in her eyes made him regret letting that word slip. He felt a tinge of guilt as he watched her skin pale and her pupils dilate. While he watched her retreat into the deadly corners of her mind, he saw two marks on the edge of her neck, where she had been scratching. Sesshomaru stepped to Kagome and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet, which surprised her enough to bring her from her cursed thoughts.

"Wh-What are you d-doing?" she asked, fearing a repeat of the night before. Kagome watched as he examined her neck. She saw his eyes flash red and she placed a hand on his chest to push him away. "No, no, no. Please, not again! Just kill me, please!" she begged him, willing to kneel if he hadn't been holding her up.

"What is your problem?" Sesshomaru calmed, his eyes going back to normal, and looked at her.

"Your eyes…" she said, calming down a bit, "They were red again. That's what you were like when…"

"I get it. Enough." he said, letting her go. She was too weak to catch herself and dropped to the dirt with a hard thud. There was a brief moment where Sesshomaru thought to help her back up, but he fought the impulse and looked away to retreat in his own thoughts. He was contemplating something and Kagome could tell. He almost looked… frightened? What frightened Sesshomaru was going to be a bad day for Kagome, so she pushed herself to her feet, waiting for some reaction from him. "Fuck."

"Wh-What?" Kagome asked and he just closed his eyes and shook his head.

" _At least I know why I don't want to kill her…"_ Sesshomaru thought to himself, looking Kagome up and down. The gesture caused Kagome to retreat until her back met a tree. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and sighed, "Let's get you cleaned up. We will tell no one of this incident and you can return to my idiot half-brother and your quest for the jewel shards."

"But… I just said…"

"Say nothing to him and he will know nothing. Understood?" Sesshomaru said and she nodded. It was a dangerous plan, but one that gave Kagome the slightest hope of staying with her friends. As she thought of them, she felt guilty about wanting to die before, but could she even face them now?

The next hour was the two of them coming up with a plan to deal with this situation. In the end, Kagome would return to Inuyasha and her friends under the pretense that Sesshomaru rescued her from a demon. Her clothes were torn in the initial attack, so he provided her with his haori to cover her and then brought her back. After a good bath in a nearby hot-spring and some herbs that helped deal with scent problems, Kagome and Sesshomaru made their way to Kaede's Village. Kagome held uncomfortably on to his shoulders as he carried her on his back. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the village and the moment they landed, Inuyasha and the group bolted out of Kaede's hut.

"Hey! What the hell is going on, Kagome?" Inuyasha yelled and all confidence that Kagome had in the plan disappeared. She was let down off of Sesshomaru's back, went to speak, and froze. She glanced to Sesshomaru, her eyes fearful, and then used him to hide from Inuyasha. Sesshomaru just sighed…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Moving On

"Kagome." Sango spoke up concerned for her cowering friend, "Are you okay?"

"She's hurt." Sesshomaru spoke on Kagome's behalf, his eyes closed as he began to explain their well thought out lie, "She was attacked by a nauseatingly hostile demon deep in the forest. The vulgar beast attempted to force himself on her…" Sesshomaru hesitated for but a moment, opening his eyes to look at Kagome's terrified group of friends, "I prevented the worst of it." They all sighed in relief, but Sesshomaru had trouble keeping the lie together himself. He was disgusted with his actions. The most fluid part of his story was when he was insulting the so-called attacker because he knew it was himself.

Kaede hurried over to Kagome's side and began examining her. She was wearing Sesshomaru's haori, holding it closed with her arms hugged around herself. Seeing her in Sesshomaru's garment was an odd sight for everyone. Sango hurried over as well, with Shippo on her shoulder. Miroku stepped up to Sesshomaru and bowed, thanking him in the most grateful way he could come up with. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was dumfounded. He realized instantly that the fault was with him.

"Come on in, child." Kaede said, guiding Kagome into the hut. Kagome and Sesshomaru shared one final look as she entered the hut and was no longer in his sight.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru." Kaede bowed to him before following Kagome.

"Yes, thank you. I don't know of a way to repay you for what you've done." Sango said and hurried in.

The several thanks he was receiving made it all more awkward. Sesshomaru's knowing that he did not deserve such sincere thanks from these people left him sick. He didn't enjoy being thanked by humans, but being thanked in this situation was almost too much to deal with for the demon lord.

"Sesshomaru." Inuyasha finally spoke up as each of his friends retreated into the hut to tend to Kagome. Sesshomaru turned to his younger brother, expecting some sort of sarcastic remark. Inuyasha moved toward him and stood strong. "Thank you. I know you and I will never get along, but appreciate you bringing Kagome back to us. I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing." Sesshomaru said stoically and turned from his brother. Inuyasha's eye twitched and he was ready to yell at his brother, but the thoughts of Kagome's situation calmed him fast. He just left things as they were and turned to the hut, stepping inside to see what Kagome had to say.

"Would you like something to eat, child?" Kaede asked, stirring some stew over a fire.

"No, thank you. I don't feel up to eating right now." Kagome said weakly, "I mostly want to sleep."

"Then sleep." Inuyasha said a little more harshly than he meant to, causing Kagome to flinch.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo yelled and threw an acorn at the guy's, "Stop being mean!"

"You truly have no idea what Kagome went through out there." Miroku said with a lot of concern for Kagome, "You're need to give her some time to adjust to such a trauma."

"Kagome, if you need to rest, take all the time you need." Sango added in an attempt to comfort her friend. Kagome nodded, a low whimper escaping through her nose.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean it like that." Inuyasha apologized and sat down across from her, on the opposite side of the hut.

The rest of the night was pretty quiet. Everyone was afraid to talk around Kagome, and who could blame them? Even Kagome understood their silence. What was there to say about something like this? What would make things less uncomfortable for them? What would make things more comfortable for Kagome? They couldn't come up with a single thing to help her. Their silence lasted through the night, until people fell asleep. Kagome fell asleep first, allowing the others to rest easier. Inuyasha was the last to finally sleep.

A couple of hours later, a small whimper from Kagome shook Inuyasha from his slumber. His senses were on high alert. He looked up at her and saw her face distort. She groaned in her sleep again and woke Shippo. It soon got worse and everyone woke up. A moment later, the nightmare Kagome was having woke her and she shot up from bed screaming.

"NOT AGAIN!" she shrieked. As she looked around and realized where she was, Sango hurried to her side and embraced Kagome tightly.

"It's okay, Kagome. You're safe now." Sango said to comfort her.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Kagome cried heavily into Sango's shoulder, clinging strongly to her friend, and causing Sango to cry for her as well.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Kagome. This isn't your fault." Miroku set a hand on Kagome's shoulder. Sango gave Miroku a death-glare that he had never seen before. Miroku quickly understood that Sango was warning him about his lecherous ways, but Miroku had more tact than that and glared back at Sango for such an accusation. Sango quickly calmed herself down and nodded apologetically to him.

"Child… Maybe you should return home for a while. Such an incident may be better taken care of by those ye' are closest to." Kaede explained, "Your family might be of better help."

"Yeah, you should go home, Kagome…" Inuyasha said calmly, a drop of guilt in his tone.

"What?" Kagome weakly replied wide eyed, "You hate it when I go home."

"You've never had something like this happen either, have you?" Inuyasha snapped a bit, causing Kagome to flinch and lower her head. "There's nothing more important than you getting better, Kagome. Something like that… It should have never happened. If you need to take some time back home, then do it without worrying about any of us here, okay?"

"Inuyasha…" Sango blinked in surprise at the mature response he gave.

"I agree with him." Miroku spoke up, "If you feel the best care is in your time, you should go immediately. The longer you wait, then the worse things may get for you."

"I don't know if the best care is in my time though…" Kagome responded with a saddened sigh, "The people I'm closest to are in this room. I love my family, but I've spent more time here with you guys than I have with them in so long that I often feel closer and safer with all of you than at home."

"Obviously you shouldn't…" Inuyasha let slip out, receiving glares from the rest, "That's not supposed to be mean or anything, okay! But that happened here, in this time! She had to be saved by Sesshomaru of all people! What do you think would have happened if he wasn't there? Huh?" Inuyasha shouted angrily and received only depressed looks in reply. "Exactly!" he exclaimed and crossed his arms angrily, "I don't like it anymore than you guys, but I'm also well aware that this is all my fault!"

Yet more words to shock the entire group, but none of them disagreed. They were all secretly angry with him because he had come home without Kagome, saying she had run of after catching him and Kikyo again. "Agh… I know running off to see Kikyo hurts Kagome, but I keep doing it. The stupid thing is that, even with this happening, I can't promise that I'd stop! My decisions are putting her in danger and even though I know it's really stupid… I can't just forget about Kikyo. I know I'm supposed to protect Kagome, I want to, but… that doesn't take away the thought in the back of my mind about how everything between Kikyo and I was forced to an early end by that bastard Naraku."

In that moment, something triggered in Kagome's mind. Inuyasha did not love her. He loved Kikyo and nothing was changing that. Inuyasha was saying all of this with the lie that she and Sesshomaru came up with as his reasons. In Inuyasha's mind, his secret meetings with Kikyo are the reason she ran off. They're the reason she did not come home, and by proxy are the reason that she was attacked. Even with all of that in Inuyasha's mind, he openly admitted he couldn't just forget about Kikyo.

"I know, Inuyasha…" Kagome replied in a mild whisper, refusing to look to anyone, "It's why I've never asked you to let her go or called my soul back to my body like I knew I could. I know you care for her and that you can't just stop. I know that your story was tragically cut short and her suddenly being back in your life is confusing. I'm also from a completely different time period and we don't even know if I'll be able to stay here once the jewel is complete and Naraku is destroyed. How can I ask you to choose someone that may not be here the moment the mission is complete? That wouldn't be fair for you… but this also isn't fair for me."

For the rest of the group, this was probably one of the most awkward conversations to witness. Right in front of them, Kagome and Inuyasha were opening up to each other in ways that they had never done before. They all sat as still as statues, fearing that movement would end the interesting conversation that was getting the two farther in understanding each other. Inuyasha's mature reaction toward this situation left the group bewildered. Shippo was the only one that felt lost, but he was understanding some more of it now. All he knew was that Kagome was attacked; he did not understand the severity of it or what type of attack it was.

"I know it's not…" Inuyasha sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "How do I make such a decision?"

"You don't." Kagome said with a small, weak smile, "I won't ask you to choose. There's too much we don't know about our future. I won't ask you or Kikyo to wait for it to be revealed either. If you two want to be together, then the one who needs to make the decision here is me. I will continue to hunt the jewel shards. I will help Sango get her brother back and Miroku rid himself of the Wind Tunnel. I will make sure you and Kikyo get your well-deserved revenge. But now it's time that I move on and follow my own path."

"Kagome, what do you mean?" Inuyasha asked, shocked and confused.

"I mean, Inuyasha… That I will no longer wait for you to choose me because I don't want you to choose me anymore." Kagome smiled a bit bigger, it obviously a forced expression.

"Kagome… You can't mean that." Sango placed her hands onto Kagome's shoulders.

"No, Sango. I do mean it." Kagome said and closed her eyes for a moment. She stood up from her place in the hut and opened her eyes again, a major shift in their vibrancy. What were once the beautiful and bright brown eyes that belonged to the Kagome they knew, were dull and lifeless orbs of what couldn't be anything more than a broken soul. "Inuyasha doesn't need to be held back by someone like me."

"K-Kagome." Inuyasha stood up to face her, but she walked casually out of the hut. No one had the courage to follow her at that point. Shippo was about to, but was stopped when Sango picked him up and held him close. For a few long agonizing seconds, the hut was dead silent.

"What… do we do?" Sango finally broke the silence.

"Kagome looked so… beaten, defeated..." Miroku and then shook his head, "That's putting it lightly…"

"What she went through must be worse than we thought." Kaede chimed in from her corner of the hut, "Her body is as broken as her mind. Someone in her situation needs to be watched. Anything can tilt her over the edge or bring her back from this gloom that she's found herself thrown into."

"What do you mean, Kaede?" Shippo asked curiously, looking to where Kagome once sat.

"I mean that there is something more to this. I can sense Kagome's power wavering. Sesshomaru claims to have prevented the worst of what could have happened, but what is considered the 'worst' to someone like him? I can't imagine he cares too much about Kagome's virtue." Kaede explained, closing her eye as her tone began to shake from both anger and fear, "It is possible that Kagome was indeed fully violated and that Sesshomaru did not consider explaining that part to us."

"But why would he hold that back? He already rescued her and brought her to us?" Miroku asked.

"It may not be intentional. How valued is a woman's virginity in the world of demons?" Kaede turned to Inuyasha, asking a rather serious and embarrassing question to someone like him.

"What?! I don't know! How am I supposed to? I was brought up by humans, remember?" Inuyasha exclaimed, holding his hands out in front of him as if he were holding the question at bay.

"I see. It is a delicate subject to bring up, but if Kagome's virginity was stolen by this demon, then we must do what we can to show her that she's still the Kagome we all know and love." Kaede explained and then sighed again out of irritation, looking to Inuyasha, "I believe ye' may have made that part of this a bit more difficult with your speech about my sister. With that now on Kagome's mind, she may not be able to be pulled back from this mental hell she is stuck in."

"So, this is my fault too?" Inuyasha asked, truly saddened and riddled with guilt.

"No. You were being honest and if we understood that Kagome may have indeed been taken, I doubt you would have said such things to her…" Kaede tried to comfort him, and then looked to the rest of the group, "Kagome has always been a gentle soul. Her last words while treading the edge of her sanity were about making sure Inuyasha could be happy with my sister. She likely thinks very negatively of herself right now and needs to be reassured that this doesn't change who she is."

"I don't understand what's going on… What happened to Kagome?" Shippo asked.

"You'll understand when you're older, Shippo." Sango pat the confused little fox demon on the head and sighed, "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have been talking about this in front of you in the first place. Please, just do your best to help Kagome smile. Show her she's important to you and everything will be okay."

"Alright! I'll do my best!" Shippo said as he hopped out of Sango's arms, "To be honest, it's not going to be that hard. Kagome's more like a Mom to me than a friend, so I know I can do this!" Shippo made a confident fist and nodded to himself before rushing out the door to find Kagome. The group was left with a bit of hope in their hearts. If anyone could help Kagome feel better, it'd be Shippo.

The young fox demon found Kagome's scent quickly. It was mixed in with Sesshomaru's because she was still wearing his haori, which was awkward and frightening for the young boy at the same time. It made him worry whether he'd run into Sesshomaru, but that demon had to be gone by now. He hurried along to Kagome and found her sitting on the bridge, staring down at the water glittering under the moon. Shippo was quickly put off by the look in Kagome's eyes. She wasn't herself at all. She usually enjoyed the water and the night sky. She came out here to relax when she was deep in thought about something, but now it was like she did it on reflex, as if muscle memory was what brought her here.

"Kagome?" Shippo slowly approached and pulling Kagome from her trance.

"Hey, Shippo." Kagome replied with very little emotion at all. She didn't sound like the woman he knew and that scared him. The poor boy couldn't help but want to cry. He didn't understand what was going on and all the talk he heard back in the hut sounded unusually bad. Kagome had been thrown, beaten, sick, kidnapped, and cursed in the past, but nothing brought her to this point. Shippo stared back at the woman he thought of as a mother, receiving that lifeless gaze in return and he broke.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome!" Shippo fell onto his butt and began weeping uncontrollably. The tears that streamed down his cheeks could rival the roughest of rivers with the amount of fear they held. He came out here with confidence that he would be able to help her, but that soulless look crushed any ounce of confidence that he had. It only took a moment for Kagome's heart to skip the beat it needed in order to bring her back into a slightly more normal reality. Watching Shippo break down and cry like this was too heartbreaking for her to stay a shattered soul. That instant put a single piece of her heart back in place, giving Kagome just enough of herself to take Shippo in her arms and hold tightly onto him.

"I'm sorry, Shippo. I'm so sorry." Kagome whispered to the crying child and the two just embraced each other. Shippo clung to Kagome so tightly that he was shaking. She set her cheek on top of his head and brushed his hair down with her hand. She was still important to him. She was still important to all of them, no matter how horrible she felt about herself. What happened, happened. There was nothing that could change that, so she couldn't just check out like she planned. Sango and Miroku had each other and would be okay. Inuyasha had Kikyo and would be okay. Shippo had no one. Sure, Sango and Miroku would take care of him, but there's no replacing a Mother…

" _I'll be okay. I have to be… For Shippo."_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Weakened

The next couple of days were low energy. The entire group had an air of exhaustion around them since each were using their energy to figure out a plan to help Kagome. Kagome kept to herself most of the time, talking mostly to Shippo and Sango when they came to her. The most comfortable time the group had was when they came across a new hot spring and were able to enjoy a night of bathing. However, Inuyasha insisted on distancing himself from the group, the guilt about Kagome's situation weighing him down. Sango and Miroku both noticed, but did not know how to confront him about it. They also didn't know whether they _should_ talk about it.

On the fifth night of their continued travels, the group found a small village of farmers plagued by a weasel demon. Miroku went about his normal routine, charming the villagers and exorcising the demon once they figured out there really was one. The group was thrown a small feast and allowed to sleep in the extra room of the Headman's home. The room looked out toward the nearby forests, over one of the many farms that surrounding the village and provided a beautiful view of the sunset.

"Hey, Kagome!" Shippo hurried over to her side and held up a new toy horse he got from the village, "Look what I got! Isn't it pretty! The villagers carved it for me as a thank you."

"It is beautiful, Shippo." Kagome smiled and pat the boys head. Shippo ran off to play and Kagome turned out toward the view only to be startled. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a glimpse of Sesshomaru standing on top of a hill in the shadow of the forest, as the sun set over the trees. That brief moment would have been a beautiful sight if memories of that night didn't rush through her mind. She turned away, holding her head as if she had a headache, and catching the attention of her friends.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Sango asked concerned. Kagome opened her eyes and looked up to Sango before looking out toward where she knew she had seen him. He was no longer there, which helped her calm down. Kagome turned back to Sango with a weak smile, taking a deep breath.

"I'm okay. I think it's just a headache." Kagome explained.

"Alright, if you're sure. Get some rest, okay?" Sango said and helped Kagome set up her bed. Once she was done, she looked to Inuyasha and stared for a moment. He caught the look and stared back, waiting for her to stay something. Instead of speaking up, she just looked away from him.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Inuyasha pressed the matter as gently as he could.

"Do you… Never mind." Kagome shook her head and slid under the blankets.

"No, no. It's okay. What's wrong?" Inuyasha pressed further, his stubbornness catching mild glares from both Sango and Miroku. Shippo was as curious as Inuyasha, so he sat back and watched.

"I was wondering whether you… sensed Sesshomaru… or smelt him near here?" she asked shyly, apprehensive about what Inuyasha may think of her asking such a question.

"What? No, why?" Inuyasha replied a little aggressively, "Wait, no… You wanna return his damn haori. If he wanted it, Kagome, he'd have ripped it from you before he left. I doubt he cares. Besides, I can't smell anymore of him than what is coming from his haori anyway. If I smell him, I'll tell you."

"Oh, okay." Kagome nodded and laid her head down, "Thank you."

The night came to a close on the group and Kagome once again found her night plagued by terrifying nightmares. This time her mind went wild as images of Naraku taking her instead. Demon tendrils and claws that came from her enemy's body held her in place as he overtook her with his massive, disgusting form. As if a prayer was answered, Kagome's eyes slowly opened from the nightmare without her screaming out from sleep. Her eyes met Shippo's and all she could do was smile.

"You woke me up again. Thank you, Shippo." Kagome reached over and pulled up the covers so Shippo could join her. He quickly crawled into the covers and laid down next to her.

"I've got your back, Kagome." Shippo said with a strong nod. The two of them had this little agreement that if she began having a nightmare, Shippo would wake her up before she shot up from her sleep screaming like she did the first night. Shippo had saved her from that embarrassing fate three different times now. Kagome realized that when he was close, she felt a bit better about everything.

"You're so sweet, Shippo." Kagome kissed his forehead and the two laid down for the night.

"Ni'night, Momma…" Shippo muttered as he quickly fell to sleep. Kagome's eyes widened and she looked down to the exhausted boy. She didn't even think Shippo realized what he said. Kagome laid her head down with a very happy smile on her face. It was strange to have him being the one to look after her, but he ended up calling her Momma. That innocent moment in time allowed yet another piece to be put back into place in that broken soul of hers. Kagome slept easily the rest of the night.

The next morning came and the sun shined into the room and over Kagome's peaceful face. Her eyes opened before anyone else's this time and she actually felt well-rested. She sat up and stretched and quietly as possible, careful not to wake anyone up. The few nights before left them all worried and on edge. Each time she made a move, they were right there watching her to make sure she didn't trip over her own feet or sneeze in a direction that might make her apologize. Kagome appreciated the show of care and the gentle way she was being treated, but it wasn't exactly something she was used to. She preferred the hard-ass Inuyasha and the lecherous monk that she had come to love. Sango, admittedly, was about the same. She knew she didn't have to walk on eggshells around Kagome, unlike the others. Of the group, Shippo was probably the sweetest. He took care of her so well. It reminded her of when she was younger and her Mother got a bad cold. She'd make her soup and bring her drinks all the time.

"My son…" Kagome muttered as she watched the young fox demon sleep not a foot from her. The two words he spoke before he fell asleep cemented that fact in Kagome's mind and heart. It was probably the reason she felt so renewed and strong. The weakened spirit brought on by Sesshomaru's assault on her was almost back to normal… Almost. There was a lot she had to figure out before she could truly say such a thing. Right now, she accepted it as a hope and would move on from that trauma.

Soon, the rest of the group were awoken by the smell of some deliciously seasoned food. Shippo was the first to rise, his excitement being what woke the rest. Kagome was cooking up some of the ramen she brought back for everyone. While it was a simple everyday food for her, the rest of the group very much enjoyed the taste that could only come from the future. It was a treat for all of them and she wanted to do something to make them smile.

"Good morning everyone!" Kagome said cheerfully, catching the group off guard.

"Why, good morning, Kagome! What are we eating this morning?" Miroku, as usual the first to catch on, sat around the fire and clapped his hands together excitedly while looking into the pot.

"We only had one flavor left, so I decided to boil it instead of let it sit in the water. Besides, my Mom gave me a few extra seasonings to put in it and it's coming along great!" Kagome stirred the pot and began pouring servings for everyone, Shippo getting his bowl first and Miroku second. The other two got their servings just after and Kagome began to eat her own as the last person to be served.

"Oh, it's delicious!" Shippo said delighted at the first bite he took.

"Wow, this is good… Real good!" Inuyasha was as thrilled as the young fox demon at the new and improved taste. Kagome smiled happily as everyone ate. Once everyone was done, they all took the time to help her clean up even though she said they didn't have to. Sango normally did help her, but the other three usually sat back patting at their bellies when she made something new. It was a little strange for them to be so insistent on making everything easy for her, but she had to admit that it was helpful.

The time to leave this village came and Miroku led the party by saying farewell to the grateful villagers. The group began their journey once more, moving down a dirt road leading them to the northwest. A couple of hours of travel led them to a desecrated village that offended Inuyasha's sense of smell before they got close. The closer they got, the worse it became and both Shippo and Kilala joined in on not wanting to deal with that smell. The three of them were told to stay behind as the humans went on.

"What happened here?" Miroku asked as they entered the village boundary. Many bodies lay about, slaughtered and rotting, only to be left as food for birds and other wild animals.

"I don't know. This is horrible." Sango said in disgust. The three also ended up victim to the foul smell that lingered in the air. However, they did not feel right just leaving this the way it was. They pushed through it and gathered the bodies into a pile. Normally, they'd burry them all, but the horrid stench pushed them to burn the bodies and pray over the fire instead. Once they were done, they hurried out of the village and met up with Inuyasha and the rest. Unfortunately, that had taken a chunk of their day and evening was already upon them. They needed to find somewhere to rest.

"Damn it. We shouldn't have stopped. Naraku is gathering the jewel shards as we speak. We can't afford to stop at every village and help out." Inuyasha complained out of irritation.

"Stopping to help is one of the things that makes us different than Naraku." Kagome said casually and the group turned to her in surprise, "It's true… He's a defiler. I wouldn't be shocked if he did that to the village. He'd sit back and watch as people suffered. We don't. I don't want to be like Naraku."

"Kagome's right. Helping people is better than not helping people!" Shippo agreed assuredly.

"I understand your rush, Inuyasha." Kagome turned to him as they walked, smiling, "But-…" 

"Wait a minute." Inuyasha interrupted her, sniffing the air and glaring out toward the forest, "Damn it… Where are you? YOU OUT THERE SESSHOMARU?"

Sesshomaru's name sent chills down Kagome's spine. Her heart began to race as she and the group looked around. When she couldn't spot him, she picked Shippo up and put him on Kilala after she transformed into her larger form. Kagome grabbed her bow and was ready to notch an arrow when a sickening feeling came over her. Everything around her went dark, her mind began to blank as this shadow loomed behind her. It was like he was standing not an inch from her body.

"Kagome?" Sango asked and touched her friend's shoulder. Kagome snapped out of it and looked around to see that Inuyasha was looking behind her. Kagome slowly turned back to see Sesshomaru standing at least twenty feet away. His presence was suffocating even when he stood far from her. The memories of that night surfaced again and she froze, her eyes locked with his.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Shippo asked and she forced a nod. Shippo didn't believe it. The look she had in her eyes startled the entire group, making them very uneasy. Inuyasha stepped up behind her, ignoring his brother's presence for the moment and set his hands on her shoulders. She jumped and looked back to him, a moment of terror in her eyes that sent his heart into its own torrent of pain. The terror faded, but that expression was not one that Inuyasha was going to forget. She was doing okay until Sesshomaru showed up, so what was up with that? Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome, acting as her shield from Sesshomaru since he seemed to be the trigger for that strange behavior.

"You're reminding her of a night she wants to forget. What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked, but received no response since Sesshomaru's priorities were elsewhere, "Hello! I'm talking to you, ya idiot! I know you smelled us quicker than we smelled you, so what the hell do you want?"

"Rin is curious about Kagome's state." Sesshomaru spoke up and rushed forward, standing in front of Inuyasha with an intense stare down at him, "I am merely here for the Rin's sake."

"Rin?" Inuyasha asked, slightly in disbelief, "Isn't that the human girl that travels with you?"

"Correct." Sesshomaru said.

"Kagome's doing a lot better." Inuyasha crossed his arms, making a pretty good shield for the woman behind him. She hid herself behind Inuyasha the best she could. This lie she was trying to keep up would be easier if he wasn't here. And did she see him last night too? "You wanna give him the haori?"

"Wha-. Oh, right." Kagome nodded and turned back to her pack. She walked up behind Inuyasha again and held the haori out to Sesshomaru, "Thank you… for letting me use it. I cleaned it up."

The silence that followed was intense. Sesshomaru watched Kagome closely and for a moment their eyes met because he didn't take the haori and she looked curiously to him. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by the fear she showed of him. After a little too long of a silence and everyone's comfort level was at an all time low, Sesshomaru actually took the haori back. He noticed the light scent of lavender and leaned in to sniff it like a curious dog would something new.

"It's a soap I use. I figured you wouldn't want my scent on it." Kagome explained and Sesshomaru looked to her for a brief moment before a white light overtook him and he shot off away from them. As the wind blew through the valley, the group looked into the edge of the forest that Sesshomaru disappeared into.

"That… was scary." Shippo said, hopping onto Kagome's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Shippo." Kagome smiled and nodded. She knew her reaction to Sesshomaru was going to bring about some questions. She just had to figure out how to spin it in her favor. However, Inuyasha gave her the idea of how to. What he said to Sesshomaru would be perfect and less of a lie. He did remind her of the night she is trying to move past, just not for reasons the group thinks.

The rest of the night went smoothly. The group found a nice clearing next to some hot springs. The girls allowed the men to take their baths first since they'd likely take longer. Once the men were done, the women took their turn and slid their bare bodies into the warm water. It was so relaxing, but one of the girls had something a little more on their mind. Sango watched Kagome carefully, trying to form the questions she needed to ask before blurting them out. The matter was a sensitive one.

"Kagome." Sango scooted up next to her friend, "What actually happened that night?"

"Wh-What do you mean, Sango?" Kagome stuttered out of fear.

"Kagome, I don't want to push a matter like this because I feel that the memory is painful enough, but I get the feeling that what we know is not what actually happened." Sango explained and Kagome went silent, staring down into the water, "Kaede thinks that Sesshomaru left out some details. His words were that he 'prevented the worst of it,' but what the worst of it to him is likely not the same. Sure, you're alive, but was there… more that occurred than what was let on? You can talk to me if there is."

"He raped me." Kagome struggled to say the words. She instantly began crying and Sango did not hesitate to pull Kagome into the tightest hug she had ever given. "It was the most terrifying experience of my life… He came out of nowhere and pinned me. He ripped all of my clothes and then just… He wouldn't stop. He kept going for so long. I can still feel him. I still have nightmares."

"Kagome, why didn't you tell us?" Sango asked, crying alongside her friend.

"It's so embarrassing and if Inuyasha were to find out what happened…" Kagome tried to explain, but choked on her words before she could continue. The two were trying to keep it quiet. Even though they had some privacy, the men were not that far away and Inuyasha's hearing could get them caught.

"I'm sure he would understand. This isn't your fault. Please, tell me you don't think this is your fault?"

"I know it's not, but I feel so disgusting. Every part of my body feels repulsive." Kagome brought her hands up from the water and stared at them as they shook, "It feels like my soul has been murdered, like I need to rip the skin from my body..."

"No. Your soul has not been murdered, Kagome." Sango said seriously as she took Kagome's hands and looked her in the eyes, "You've been hurt in one of the vilest ways possible. You're scared and you're healing up the worst wound you've ever received. That is all. Your soul is one of the strongest I know. If anyone can get through something like this, it is you. Even Naraku doesn't have the power to break your spirit. No one does, unless you let them." Those last words caught Kagome's attention. Sango did not waver when Kagome looked back to her with surprise.

"Have I been letting him?" Kagome asked honestly, needing an answer.

"Kagome, it's been a week. If a human is stabbed through the gut, they don't heal up to one hundred percent in a week." Sango explained, "You need time, as much time as your heart decides. Do not think that you need to be at full capacity tomorrow, or next week, or even next month. The only thing you need to do is keep trying. You need to get better and strengthen your weakened spirit. You're allowed to be tired, angry, and fight those nightmares every night. You're allowed to be human."

"I see…" Kagome's gaze lowered to the water once more and then she raised it up to the sky, a small smile appearing on her face, "Thank you Sango. You have no idea how much I needed that."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Broken

The following week was normal. The group traveled wherever they needed to go in order to follow leads on Naraku's Castle. The last lead they received was from the Prince of one of the villages. A woman with black hair and a fan had approached him on behalf of someone named Naraku. They tried making a deal for the jewel shard that the Prince had in his possession, but would offer nothing that the village needed or wanted. They rejected the woman's deal, but she left with threats of returning for them. The Prince feared the demon woman's return and is taking her threats very seriously.

"So, you're asking us to stay and guard the castle?" Miroku asked, sitting up front with the rest of the group sitting behind him. The Prince offered them a feast and the ability to stay in his finest rooms if they'd stay with them. "I must say that this method is strange for Naraku. He'd usually send Kagura to slaughter everyone in the castle, not leave because his offer was rejected."

"Yes, agreed. This sounds like a trap." Sango added.

"I think so too, but what kind of trap? You think it's a trap for us?" Kagome asked.

"It is possible. If Naraku knew that we were heading this way, he may have left the jewel shard to lure us here for some reason. We have to be on our toes." Miroku cautioned them before turning back to the Prince, "We will stay, but if anything happens, you must keep your people inside where it is safe. The villagers living at the bottom of the hill will be vulnerable to attack if a fight starts out."

"I will inform them of the possibility of battle." The Prince said and nodded to his assistant, who hurried off quickly to inform the rest of the village, "Until then, you have our thanks."

Night fell and the silence was as thick as Naraku's miasma. Fear gripped the villagers as everyone waited for the anticipated attack. Inuyasha and the rest were all positioned at different sides of the castle for the broadest view of the surrounding areas. Inuyasha stood on the roof, looking out over the vast landscape that surrounded them. Kilala and Sango flew above the castle walls. Miroku stood in the back gardens, watching over the Prince and his younger sister. Luckily for the group and the girl, the younger sister was too young for Miroku to be flirtatious with, so they could leave him with her. Kagome and Shippo stood at the front gates, looking out over the forests and down the long stone staircase that led up to the castle from the village. The poor villagers were all in their houses, too fearful to dare leave the safety of their homes after the Prince gave them his warning.

The breeze picked up over the castle grounds and Inuyasha was the first to catch the scent. Coming from the east, a massive pack of demons were flooding in like insects leaving the hive. Inuyasha called out the sight and everyone turned their attention to the east, ready for battle. The castle guard was told to stay put while their group did what they could to hold the swarm of demons away from the castle. As they got closer, they could see Kagura leading the pack on her feather.

"Of course, Naraku'd never show himself here!" Inuyasha shouted as he pulled Tetsusaiga from the sheath, the small dull katana quickly transforming into a massive blade. Inuyasha bellowed as he let out his first attack, a well-aimed Windscar that was soon to overtake Kagura's feather. However, seeing the attack incoming, Kagura jumped away from the incoming blast and landed safely on the ground in front of Inuyasha. "Hey, Kagura. Long time no see. Where's Naraku? Tell me and I may let you live."

"Inuyasha, we'll take care of the demons!" Sango shouted from on top of Kilala's back.

"That's right. Wind Tunn-…" Miroku was ready to suck in the thousands of demons that flew above the land, but quickly caught sight of Naraku's poisonous insects. He covered his hand and sealed the Wind Tunnel before taking anything in. "Damn it. Always with those insects."

"You can't blame him, can you?" Kagura said from behind her open fan, "It is the one sure way to prevent you from sucking up his entire army."

"Shut up, Kagura!" Inuyasha yelled and went on the attack while Kagura was forced to once again on the defensive. Sango went flying into the cloud of demons while Miroku did what he can to take out the few that dared fly lower to the ground. Sango was able to take out a lot of them, but it was like an endless wave of demons leaking out from the clouds in the sky. They couldn't take them all.

Back at the castle, Kagome stayed behind with Shippo in order to protect the Prince and anyone else that she could. She had her bow at the ready, but so far none of the demons had made it close. As she watched from the distance, Kagome felt this strange pressure on her neck and began rubbing at it. She had felt the pain a few times before, but always pushed it off, just like she did here. A large worm-like demon dashed down from the sky and went to attack the village houses. Kagome aimed and fired her bow, but something was off. The normal energy that surrounded her arrow didn't fire with it. The arrow struck the side of the demon, but as a regular old arrow and did little damage.

"What?" Kagome asked herself as the worm brought its attention to her. She notched another arrow and aimed. "This time, for sure." she reassured herself and let the arrow fly, expecting the purification energy to strike the demon, but nothing happened. "I don't understand…" Kagome said as she froze on the spot. The worm went to charge and strike her, causing Kagome to brace herself. Instead, she was suddenly pushed out of the way and the worm flew passed her, into the Prince's castle gardens. She looked over to see Shippo rolling along the floor, now unconscious after saving her. "NO!" Kagome rushed to Shippo's side and picked the boy up. The worm returned its attention to the two, but then something else caught its attention. The demon and Kagome both looked to see the Prince.

"What are you doing?! Run!" Kagome yelled as the worm charged.

"Give me the Sacred Jewel Shard!" the worm demon shrieked in its horribly raspy voice and flew at the Prince. The Prince ducked on time and ran over to Kagome. His men tried detaining the demon, but it fought hard against them. "The jewel shard! Give me the jewel shard and I will be rewarded!"

"Give it to me." Kagome demanded of the Prince.

"Why would I do that?" he replied, spitefully.

"You don't want your men hurt, right? It's after the shards. Give it to me and I can lead it away!" Kagome said and held out her hand. The Prince hesitated and that moment of hesitation allowed the beast to get free of the ropes that his men were trying to restrain the demon with. Out of fear, he handed Kagome the shard and she handed him Shippo. "Protect him. I'll lead the demon away." Kagome said and ran off as the demon's attention was focused on her. She ran down the stairs as quickly as she could, the long staircase proving to be a huge problem for her. The demon caught up and struck her in the back, but she did not let go of the shards. She we sent flying into a pile of hay belonging to one of the villagers. She winced from the pain of being struck, but hearing the demon continue its charge gave her the strength to get up and run again. She allowed it to chase her through the village and toward Inuyasha and the rest. She fell once as the demon flew over her and she was forced to take a different way. She ended up at the edge of the village and heading toward a long valley.

"Oh no. What now?" Kagome looked around for any sign of her friends, but they were pretty far away, at least much farther than the incoming worm demon. Now that she was on the edges of the village away from the army, a few other demons caught wind of the Sacred Jewel Shards and began rushing her way. Once again, Kagome tried firing her arrows, but all they did was stick in the heads of the four demons now chasing her. She barely got out of the way of the praying mantis demon that was ready to slice her in half. Dodging him left her wide open for the small ape demon to grab onto her hair.

"Give us the Sacred Jewel Shards you carry!" the ape demon demanded.

Kagome fought against the ape demon's grasp, only to be forced to the ground. Kagome's instant reaction was more than even the demons were expecting. They expected fear, yelling, or begging for help, but they did not expect the hysteria that came from her. Kagome didn't just scream, but shrieked in utter terror. The scream itself echoed over the battlefield, catching the attention of most.

"What is that girl screaming about?" Kagura asked, obviously put off by the scream.

"K-Kagome?" Inuyasha stopped fighting and rushed off to Kagome, leaving his back open to Kagura's next attack. She took advantage of the distracted half-demon and sent a multitude of her wind blades at Inuyasha's back. By the time he noticed, they were too close to counter and his body was torn through by the attack. Inuyasha fell to the ground, still not looking back to Kagura. He watched Kagome helplessly panicking as the demons surrounded her. He tried pushing himself to his feet, only to hear Kagura let out a second attack. He turned to use his Tetsusaiga as a shield, the wind blades being blocked by his own iron fang. "Damn it! Back off, Kagura!" he yelled, hearing Kagome shriek once more.

Sango attempted to get to her friend as well, but the hundreds of demons blocked her path. When Miroku attempted to move toward Kagome, the demons created a wall between them. All the group could do was fight through, listening to Kagome's unnaturally terrifying panic, her cry piercing the air.

Kagome struggled against the grasp of the demon, "NO. LET ME GO. LET ME GO. STOP IT."

"What the hell…" the ape demon tightened his grip, "Shut up, human wench! Give me the Sacred Jewel Shards and I will let you go." He reached down and grabbed the front of Kagome's shirt. She panicked even more, a feat they didn't think was possible, so the ape demon pushed her to the ground, crushing her ribs with his demonic strength. She stopped shrieking, barely able to breathe. Kagome felt her chest being crushed and knew that any second her ribs were going to snap underneath this pressure.

" _Someone… help me."_ she thought, praying for someone to come.

Right as Kagome's body was about to give to the enormous pressure crushing her chest, a burst of heavy energy flew over her body, enveloping each of the demons that surrounded her. Kagome gasped for air, her lungs re-inflating quickly as her chest went back to normal. She rolled over into the fetal position, doing what she could to catch her breath. She opened her eyes upon hearing the incoming footsteps. She looked up to see Sesshomaru standing over her with his Tōkijin drawn.

"Sesshomaru…?" Kagome called his name with wide eyes. Why was he here? Was he… protecting her?

"Stand up." Sesshomaru demanded of her, but did not give her the time to do it herself. He grabbed her shirt and lifted her to her feet. Kagome instantly put her hands on his wrist, trying to push hand away. He set her down on her feet, allowing Kagome to calm down and look at him. He didn't look to her, however. Instead, he looked off toward the battlefield to see what was going on. "What is the story here?" he asked and looked down to her, "Why is Kagura here?"

"I-… Uh…" Kagome looked off toward the battlefield as well, seeing Kagura relentlessly fire off attacks at an already hurt Inuyasha, "My powers… aren't working. I can't help." She said and Sesshomaru watched the devastation in her eyes. "Kagura is after a Sacred Jewel Shard the Prince of this castle had." she explained and opened up the palm of her hand. She had it now, giving her a total of four.

"I see." Sesshomaru said and raised Tokijin toward the mass of demons in the sky. The energy at the tip of his sword began to flow before shooting out in a massive bolt of lightning. The attack left over half of the demons annihilated in a show of power that Sesshomaru did not usually let known.

"That… power." Kagura's attention was caught by the display and the fighting halted.

Everyone looked back to Kagome and Sesshomaru, realizing that he had been the one who destroyed the demons. Sango very quickly got defensive and flew down to Kagome and Sesshomaru, jumping off Kilala and running to Kagome's side. Kilala stood behind Sango, watching the three on full alert.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Sango quickly embraced her.

"I'm okay. Sesshomaru… Uh-… He saved me." Kagome said nervously, glancing to the demon lord.

"Sesshomaru, you've been showing up a lot more that normal." Sango asked curiously, "Is there a reason for that? I appreciate you saving Kagome for the second time, but this is odd."

"I'm sure it's just coincidence." Kagome nodded to reassure herself more than Sango.

"Damn it. Why did he show up?" Kagura asked herself as she ordered the demons to back off. It didn't take the demons long to flee the battlefield. Sesshomaru was an unexpected obstacle here and her rushing off made that clear to the entire group. The castle guard could be heard celebrating what they'd call a win all the way down in the village. Inuyasha and Miroku quickly returned to Kagome and Sango's side. Inuyasha was ready to fight, being sure to keep his sword out just in case.

"What are you doing here, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked his brother suspiciously.

"Did you want her to die, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru retorted in annoyance, "I was passing by when I smelled Kagura. When I arrived, the demons were close to taking those shards from her and I stopped that. I have no interest in allowing Naraku to gain a single ounce of power. Since you obviously were unable to do the job, I protected the shards and therefore they're still in your possession."

"Shut up, Sesshomaru! We didn't need your help!" Inuyasha shouted.

"STOP IT!" Kagome shouted angrily, her voice shaking, as she stared at the shards in her hand. "Just stop… Please. Something's wrong…"

"What, Kagome?" Sango asked.

"I can't use my powers… My arrows did nothing, I can't sense the damn shards!"

"Kagome, what do you mean?" Miroku asked, shocked and confused.

"What does it mean? Exactly what I said!" Kagome grabbed up the bow of a nearby fallen warrior and notched an arrow. She aimed it at Sesshomaru, who only raised an eyebrow. As Kagome let the arrow fly, it struck Sesshomaru on the shoulder and did nothing more. She aimed again, fired, and nothing. She kept doing this until Sango noticed Sesshomaru becoming more and more angry at the scene.

"Kagome, enough!" Sango warned her, wrapping her arms around her friend and holding her back from firing another arrow. Kagome dropped the bow and fell to her knees, bringing Sango down with her.

"It's gone…" she said, staring at her shaky hands in a panic, "My powers are gone."

"They're not gone." Sesshomaru spoke up and the group looked to him. He stared expressionlessly at Kagome before sighing and pulling the four arrows she fired at him from his body. "Your recent trauma has your mind and soul in distress and therefore your powers are as well."

"My soul is… in distress?" Kagome asked, barely able to get the words out.

"Yes." Sesshomaru gave a curt nod.

The group stayed silent and watched Kagome contemplate what Sesshomaru explained. There was no answer for this now. She did her best to remember Sango's words. Time. Time was what she needed and she could take as long as she wanted, right? There was no need to rush to heal such a wound. Those words were something Kagome desperately wanted to believe, but Shippo had to save her life. If her powers weren't working, she couldn't protect him.

"My son!" Kagome gasped as a new phrase to the group slipped from her mouth. She stood up, all other thoughts lost and darted back toward the castle they had come here to protect.

"Her son?" Sesshomaru looked questioningly to Inuyasha.

"I dunno." Inuyasha shrugged, honestly as surprised as his brother.

"She's talking about Shippo." Miroku spoke up, walking with his staff up to Sesshomaru. Miroku stared at the dog demon intensely for a few moments and then looked to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, do not allow Kagome to travel back alone. We do not know what demons may still be lurking about."

"Right." Inuyasha moved like a soldier under orders and ran after Kagome.

"Sango, I need to speak with Sesshomaru for a moment. Would you mind leaving us for a bit?" Miroku asked Sango, who looked suspiciously at him. She assumed he had to talk to Sesshomaru about Kagome, so since Sesshomaru wasn't a beautiful young woman, Sango nodded and flew of on Kilala.

"Why would you want to speak with me?" Sesshomaru asked the monk once they were alone.

"Inuyasha is an idiot." Miroku said.

"Agreed."

"Sango is in denial, Shippo is a child, and Kagome is in shock while trying to get her life back to some semblance of normal." Miroku continued, his eyes narrowing to glare at Sesshomaru.

"What are you getting at, monk?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at Miroku.

"I doubt it was intentional, but I am aware of a time in the lives of demons that your minds become clouded with rage and the intense desire to claim a mate." Miroku said bluntly, the implications quickly catching on. Sesshomaru, for the first time since Miroku knew him, looked uneasy.

"Your point?"

"You get my point, Lord Sesshomaru. Kagome would not be fearful of someone that rescued her from such a fate. She'd thank them profusely, grateful every time she saw them."

Sesshomaru took in a deep breath and held it, his eyes not shifting from the monks.

"You raped her, didn't you?"

Sesshomaru's eyes instantly flashed red and he rushed forward with Tōkijin in hand, striking down at Miroku with his demonic speed and strength behind him. Miroku, having expected such a reaction after accusing a proud and high-ranking demon like Sesshomaru of such a heinous act, immediately brought his staff up to block the strike. However, neither of their weapons actually met. Tōkijin hovered about an inch above Miroku's staff, Sesshomaru's demonic energy cracked like electricity out from the sword, a piece of that power cutting Miroku on the cheek. Sesshomaru's demonic aura instantly calmed down and he backed away from Miroku.

"Well, it seems my suspicions were right." Miroku wiped the trickle of blood from his cheek.

"It would be smart to keep such accusations to yourself." Sesshomaru said, his tone threatening.

"I only needed to see if what I thought was true. I can see now that it is."

"Silence yourself, monk." Sesshomaru hissed angrily, trying to control his rage this time.

"Do not worry, Sesshomaru." Miroku sighed and lowered his head, "No good can come of revealing this. It would only harm Kagome and I cannot fathom the reaction Inuyasha would have. Keeping this a secret is the only way anyone can get on with their lives, however, I do demand an answer for one piece of this puzzle that I have not figured out."

"You demand?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yes, demand." Miroku said as he dropped his staff and pulled the prayer beads from his wrist, "While I cannot fight you head on, the power of my wind tunnel is not something even you can easily fight. So, unless you want to be sucked into this void, you will answer this: Did you mark her?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Marked

The stare off between Miroku and Sesshomaru seemed longer than it was. Sesshomaru stood tense, contemplating his situation and calculating whatever odds he could come up with. He has witnessed the power of this monk's hand before and doubted the length of time he'd be able to resist being pulled into the whirlwind. However, answering the question presented to him was just as dangerous. The monk seemed and honest one and obviously cared for Kagome.

Sesshomaru went to speak. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. He looked off to the side, the answer obvious by his behavior. Miroku figured it out the moment Sesshomaru did not immediately deny it. The demon lord was wrestling with his life, pride, and reputation all at once and Miroku understood that, but he wanted to hear Sesshomaru admit it to him and to himself.

"I marked her." Sesshomaru admitted, his upper lip twitching upwards to reveal a fang.

"I thought so." Miroku said and reapplied the prayer beads to his wrist.

There was another extensive silence as the two stared at one another. Miroku was calmer than Sesshomaru expected, leaving him to wonder what the monk was thinking.

"I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru." Miroku said sincerely. For a brief moment, Sesshomaru expected the Wind Tunnel. Instead, he realized the true concern within the sincere apology.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sesshomaru did not understand Miroku's calm demeanor after he admitted to his crime. He expected yelling, insults, and other human behavior. Instead, he received a sincere apology.

"Being a demon of your standing, I cannot imagine how something like this impacts you." Miroku picked up his staff, "Kagome is my friend and I care a lot for her. What has happened is unforgivable, but knowing what I know, I cannot put the fault entirely on you. While it would have been smarter for you to just pick a Demon Princess you knew, something prevented you from choosing a mate. It is not your fault you were born with a burden that, quite literally, forces you to mate whether you like it or not."

"I have not found a female demon worthy of myself."

"Heh…" Miroku shook his head, "And now you're in this situation."

"Watch yourself." Sesshomaru's eyes widened angrily, his hand gripping Tōkijin a little tighter.

"Sesshomaru," Miroku spoke sternly, "Your stubborn pride has gotten you into this situation. Over the many years you've lived, you've rejected every female that has come your way. You've decided that you're so far above everything and everyone, that you allowed yourself to fall further than even the poorest of humans would ever allow themselves to."

"WATCH IT."

"You're now drawn to Kagome in a way you never thought you would be, permanently attached to her and desiring nothing more than her safety all because you were too stupid t-…"

Miroku was stopped when a hand reached for his throat and stopped a mere inch away. He leaned his head back, glancing down at the claws that hovered a short distance from his throat. Sesshomaru stared at him, wanting nothing more than to grab his neck, but something held him back. There was little in the eyes of the brazen monk who seemed to intentionally push Sesshomaru's buttons. If this had been a normal day, Miroku knew he'd be dead. However, this was not a normal day for either of them.

"As I thought." Miroku said and sighed, "You can't hurt me, can you?"

"What are you talking about?" Sesshomaru asked, lowering his hand from Miroku.

"You can't hurt anyone that she cares about because it would harm her."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I've studied demons since I was a young boy." Miroku explained, "I've encountered all kinds, read many scrolls depicting different rituals, been given the ability to learn things most can't… One of the things I learned from my Father, just days before he passed away, was about the mating ceremonies of demons. I never really thought them true because I could never confirm it, at least not until now."

"What do you want from me?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Miroku asked, now the confused one.

"I've marked your friend through appalling means. I doubt you'll keep this hidden for nothing."

"Sesshomaru, the only thing I want from you is to die."

"Excuse me?" Sesshomaru's eyes widened momentarily, the shock quickly fading with a second blink.

"Obviously, that's not something that I can do. I'd never have the power to defeat you and I'm not sure if the things sucked into my Wind Tunnel die or are just transported somewhere else, so that path may be useless. What I do know is that you are attached to someone I care about and I believe that only your death will free her from this curse. Until that happens, she's trapped in something she does not deserve and because I can't speak about it, there's no way for me to help her out of it. So, what do I want from you? I want you to die. I want you to stab yourself through the heart with that cursed demon blade. I want you to do this because after what you've allowed to happen to my friend, my very selfless and kind friend, you don't deserve the life you have. You deserve hell, but Kagome does not."

Sesshomaru kept silent and stared at the monk. Miroku stared back for a few moments before closing his eyes, sighing, and walking passed the dumbfounded demon. Sesshomaru watched him pass by without any hint of fear. Seeing that helped Sesshomaru realize a couple things: he really couldn't attack this man because the mark was preventing it and he really was permanently attached to Inuyasha's wench. Was death truly the only option that he had to free himself? He had no plans of dying, but if something were to befall Kagome, he would be free from this embarrassment.

Without another word, Sesshomaru left.

The night ended with Shippo curled into Kagome's arms, his head recovering from a nasty bump. Kagome could not thank the young boy enough for saving her, but never wanted him to have to do such a thing again. Seeing him harmed because of her was a lot for Kagome to take in. Sesshomaru's words about her loss of power kept coming back to her mind. Was her soul really in distress? She thought she was getting better, but the evidence was proving otherwise. Shippo made her feel better and Sango was always supporting and reassuring her that things were going to be okay. She thought she believed them, but if her powers aren't working like Sesshomaru said, was there more to this than she thought?

Kagome was not going to find answers sitting in the room the Prince of this village offered. She found herself wandering out into a nearby garden and chose to sit on a wooden bench next to a small flowerbed. She ran a few thoughts through her head, but before anything concrete formed, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see the Prince standing above her, smiling.

"You could not sleep either, I assume?" he asked kindly.

"No, I couldn't." Kagome set her hands in her lap and stared at the ground.

"May I sit with you?" he asked and she nodded quietly. The prince sat down and looked up at the stars above. The two stayed quiet, but the silence soon became uncomfortable for both.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Kagome lifted her head, asking him nicely.

"My sleep is plagued with visions of demons and the slaughtering of my people." He explained, clasping his hands tightly together as if to pray, "I need you to return that jewel shard you took."

"What? Oh, right." Kagome said as her mind recalled the day's events, "That may not be the best."

"You cannot take it fro-…"

"That's not it. The jewel only brings destruction to those who possess it. Demons seek it, they sense it, and so the longer it is here in your village, the more demons that will be drawn here to gain its power."

"I see, but the jewel is supposed to be a sacred gem of purity. Why does it draw in evil?"

"Because evil seeks to corrupt what is good. The jewel can be corrupted no differently than a soul…" Kagome's words went quiet as they struck a chord with her. Sesshomaru said her soul was in distress and so she could not use the powers she had come to rely on. Her power was that of a priestess, a pure and good person. Maybe by being defiled by Sesshomaru, she was no longer worthy of them.

"Young woman, are you alright?" the Prince pulled her from her thoughts. She looked to him confused, but the small trickles down her cheeks caught her attention. She was crying again.

"Oh, yes." Kagome said and wiped the tears with her sleeve, "I'm just going through some stuff right now."

"I understand. I know it is none of my business, but I do wish you well." The Prince said as he stood up and began walking off. He stopped and turned back to Kagome. "Keep the shard. I do not want more destruction to befall my people."

"Good choice." Kagome nodded and the Prince left.

Kagome sat outside for a few more minutes when the wind picked up. She closed her eyes and took that moment to feel the breeze blow through her hair. The silence normally bothered her since it let her mind run wild, but in this moment, the cool air only helped her relax. Finally, she felt like she could sleep and returned to the room with everyone else. She quietly slid beneath her blankets and went to sleep.

.

.

A couple of weeks passed and Kagome was able to act like normal. Her body was no longer bruised and sore from her attack, but her powers had not returned. She still could not sense the jewel shards and had to start practicing with her bow without the power running through it. She was so used to her energy helping with the power behind it, she had not realized that the firing of her arrows was often weak. It did not take her long to get better. A few adjustments and a newly made bow changed things.

It was early evening on a hot day and the group stopped in a village by the sea. Inuyasha and Miroku were speaking with the village headman about recent demon sightings, Shippo was playing with Kilala, and Sango was relaxing on a log a few feet away from Kagome as she practiced on a tree. She borrowed some of the chalk she gave Shippo a while back and drew a target on the trunk. She notched the arrow, pulled back, aimed, and fired. The arrow shot through the air and slammed into the tree.

"Right on the mark." Kagome said happily and Sango looked over to see the progress.

"Yeah, the bow being up to your standard helps a lot." Sango clapped her hands, "I bet when your powers return, they'll be even stronger because your natural skill has improved."

"You think so? I'm glad this comes so naturally to me." Kagome sat down on the log next to Sango.

"You have been using it a while. Your powers didn't do everything, just made the arrow hit harder."

"That's true. I just hate feeling so useless." Kagome sighed.

"Haha. You're not useless. You never have been and never will be." Sango reassured Kagome, nudging her slightly with her elbow, "You may not be as powerful as a demon or trained since you were as young as I was, but every single day you help us in many ways. If you're not watching our backs, you're keeping our spirit up with your energy and that delicious food you bring from your time."

"Thanks, Sango."

"KAGOME!" Sango suddenly yelled, catching those around and Kagome off guard as a strange tendril of some sort whipped around Kagome's neck. It coiled tightly and quickly started dragging her off. Sango hurried to her hiraikotsu, but by the time she looked back, Kagome was far away. Shippo and Kilala were chasing after her, but couldn't get close. Sango followed quickly as Kagome was dragged into the sea.

"Sango, what's going on?" Inuyasha yelled as he ran over alongside Miroku.

"IT GRABBED HER." Sango screamed and just ran into the water without another word, dropping her primary weapon so it wouldn't slow her down. She could barely see Kagome in the water and tried swimming toward her, but her friend was getting farther out of her reach.

Kagome pulled desperately on the tendril choking her and dragging her to the bottom of the ocean. It wasn't long before her back hit the sand and she was being pushed into the sea floor.

Seeing Sango run into the water, Inuyasha followed suit and dove much quicker than Sango could. He looked to Sango who pointed in Kagome's direction, catching sight of the demon who grabbed her. It was a large sea creature with tendrils growing out of its back. Its face matched that of a catfish and its body was more like a praying mantis. Despite its hideous appearance, it had enough strength to knock Inuyasha away when he tried making the first strike. Once he stopped flying through the water, he pulled out Tetsusaiga and released the Windscar without another moment of hesitation.

The demon was defeated, but Kagome wasn't moving. Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and pulled her up from the sea floor, swimming to the surface. Once she saw Kagome was with Inuyasha, she turned back and went to the surface. As Sango's head popped out of the water, she took in a deep breath and looked around for Inuyasha. He was floating there with Kagome in his arms. She was unconscious.

"Is she okay?" Sango swam over.

"She's not breathing!" Inuyasha began to panic, tapping Kagome's face.

"BRING HER HERE." Miroku yelled from the dock. Inuyasha and Sango swam over as quickly as they could. Miroku helped them pull Kagome from the water and laid her on the dock.

"That thing she taught us, remember?" Shippo said and hit Kagome on the chest, "Push here, push here and breathe into her mouth. Remember?"

"Right… H-How do we do that again?" Inuyasha asked, the lesson escaping him.

"Damn it, move." Miroku pushed Inuyasha aside and began performing CPR, "Sango, breathe for her. Remember to keep her head back enough or it won't work right." Sango did as she was told and this continued on for a couple of minutes, a time that felt like hours to the group.

The villagers began gathering around and offering their prayers, knowing that those who were under the water too long did not come back.

"Come on, Kagome…" Inuyasha begged and pat Shippo's head as he held back tears.

Kagome's chest suddenly raised as she coughed up water and rolled onto her side. She took in a deep breath and took a few moments to recover. Miroku and Inuyasha fell back and laid on the dock. Sango let the tears fall, holding Kagome in place as she coughed out the rest of the water. Shippo jumped for joy and ran around in circles with his arms up.

"I knew you could do it! Yay!" Shippo cheered.

"You… remembered." Kagome spoke through labored breaths.

"Miroku remembered better than any of us, but yes we did." Sango said and wiped her tears, before picking Shippo up and bringing him over, "In fact, Shippo was the one that reminded us what to do."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Shippo crossed his arms proudly.

"Thank you, Shippo." Kagome leaned over and kissed his cheek, "You saved my life, again."

"You're welcome." Shippo smiled sheepishly, his cheeks tinting a faint red as he scratched at his cheek.

The temptation to kiss the boy on the cheek was high, but everyone's attention was caught by the surrounding villagers. They were muttering amongst themselves, shocked at Kagome's revival. When the headman calmed a few of his worried people, he walked up to the group.

"How did you bring her back?" he asked, glancing to Inuyasha, "Is this a trick of demons?"

"No, it's not." Kagome said and went to stand up. She stumbled for a moment, but Sango kept her on her feet. "It's something I learned from my people. It doesn't always work, but when it does, you do have a chance to revive someone who has drowned and breathed in too much water."

"Please, please, I beg you. Teach my people this technique." The headman dropped to his knees and held his hand together, "We have lost so many to the sea. Whether they were under for a long or short time, it hasn't mattered. They all perish to the water. I can't bear to lose another child this way."

"I… Uh." Kagome looked to the others. Their plans were to leave here before the day was over, but with such a desperate plea for help, none of them felt comfortable abandoning these villagers.

"Of course." Miroku spoke up.

"What?" Inuyasha retorted, "Miroku, we have to keep searching for Naraku."

"I understand that, Inuyasha, but after Kagome's brush with death, she has the right to rest." Miroku explained as calmly as he could, "Besides, how many lives can we rescue even in our absence merely by teaching these people this life saving technique. We never thought it would come in handy."

"Yes, when Kagome was teaching us, we weren't that serious about it." Sango pressed her finger against her cheek, recalling the CPR lesson that Kagome had given them. Inuyasha barely paid attention, Sango was only half-learning because she was distracted with repairing her hiraikotsu, and Miroku and Shippo watched as if they were being shown a new treasure. "I still think Miroku only paid attention because he imagined pressing down on a woman's chest, but it ended up saving your life in the end."

"I beg your pardon! I pay attention to all of Kagome's lessons and women have little to do with it." Miroku crossed his arms and raised his chin in rebuttal to Sango's claims.

"I think we should stay and teach them." Shippo said and pointed toward a few kids, "If not, one slip could take someone's life and that's not good. Teach them!"

"We will." Kagome agreed and looked to the headman with a smile.

"Oh, bless you!" He said cheerfully and turned to his people. He called on them to offer whatever assistance and comforts they could to those that would be teaching them. "Nothing is more important than protecting our children and this could save hundreds, now and in the future."

The group was led to one of the larger huts in the village. It was not the wealthiest of villages, so they were offered whatever the village had. Throughout the night, they were brought food, blankets, clothing, and even some tools the villagers had to offer. Kagome began her lessons after dinner and gathered as many villagers in the center of town as possible. She used both Miroku and Sango as examples for normal CPR and then Shippo when she needed a young child. The lesson lasted for a couple of hours before the villagers scattered and everyone seemed to settle in for the night.

"I wish I had paid attention last time…" Inuyasha said solemnly, the group sitting around a warm fire in the hut they were given for the night, "I didn't think drowning was that common."

"It is, especially for people who live by the sea." Kagome replied, stoking the fire.

"I hope they remember it. The village headman made sure everyone paid attention." Shippo added. "I saw people writing some of it down too."

"Kagome, there is another one I want to relearn." Inuyasha brought up.

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"The one where you make food pop back out of their throats." He said.

"Oh, the Heimlich Maneuver."

"That word is weird, but I guess." Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head, "Can you teach us again?"

"Yes, but not tonight. I am really tired and breathing is a little uncomfortable after almost drowning." Kagome said and then looked down to Shippo.

"Huh? What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked, but all she did was smile and pull the boy into her arms, nuzzling her cheek against his.

"I love you, Shippo. You know that, right?" Kagome said.

"I-I love you too, Kagome." Shippo returned the hug tightly, wondering if this was his moment.

"You two are adorable." Sango giggled and clapped her hands together, "Perfect mother and son."

"Ah!" Shippo gasped at Sango and pointed at her, "Stolen! You stole it."

"What do you mean, Shippo?" Sango asked, the entire group confused.

"I wanted to ask her, but you just said it!" Shippo flailed his arms angrily, tears in his eyes.

"Shippo, I'm… sorry. I don't…" Sango blinked in surprise, feeling a little guilty.

"I was gonna ask Kagome to be my Mom…" he said, his head lowered. He had been planning on it for a really long time, but didn't have the courage. With everything that had been going on with Kagome, he thought the time was coming, but he didn't want someone else to spoil it.

"Shippo…" Kagome swooped the young boy into her arms again, holding him close, "You have no idea how much you mean to me. We have been friends for a long time now and if you really want me to be your mother, then I have to admit something to you that is very, very important."

"What?" Shippo asked, blinking the tears away.

"I would really, really love it if you would be my son." Kagome said excitedly and Shippo lit up. He never thought Kagome would ask him to be her son. This was amazing.

"Really? You mean it?" Shippo asked, wanting the reassurance.

"Yes, I do, but only if you really want to."

"Yes! You'll be the best Mom ever. I know it." Shippo hopped a couple times then nuzzled himself into Kagome's chest, squeezing as tight as his little demon strength would allow.

"I hope so. I'll try my best." Kagome placed her cheek on Shippo's head as the two embraced. She had been calling him her son mentally ever since she heard him call her Momma in his sleep, but until now it had never become an official thing. Shippo was what kept her going, kept her calm and ready to fight her inner demons as they crept up to gnaw on her mind.

Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha watched the two calmly. They each could see a tranquility wash over Kagome as she held Shippo in her arms. The two had always bonded well and everyone could tell that they cared deeply for each other. At times, it was a surprise that this talk hadn't already happened.

With the night ending on a beautiful and refreshing note for the entire group, they all were able to sleep peacefully. Kagome, for the first time in a long time, rested as if there wasn't a worry in her world. With her son laying right next to her, no darkness was able to stir her mind. On this night, she was at peace.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: A New Plan

Kagome and her friends walked along a raised dirt path as they were passing by one of the villages along the route to Kaede's Village. They were quiet, enjoying the summer air and the view of the countryside. Shippo waved at a few villagers that noticed them passing by. They had helped this village before and revisited almost every time they were returning to Kaede's Village, often stopping in to check on those they had gotten to know. If the village needed help, they made sure to help them. On this particular day, they were approached by the village headman, Genzo. He was a middle-aged man with a wife, a son, and a young daughter that Kagome helped deliver when they first found this place. He was normally jovial, but his approach was much stiffer and no smile greeted them.

"Hello, Genzo. Are you okay?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"I'm afraid not. I need your help." Genzo said sadly, his head lowered, "I am afraid that a few of our children have gotten very ill. They have bad fevers and are not able to eat. Anything they try to eat they end up vomiting later. We're unsure of how to help them and fear the worst if it doesn't change soon."

"It sounds like the flu. What are you feeding them?" Kagome asked.

"Meats, breads… whatever we have." Genzo explained.

"I see. I have something that can help." Kagome said and dropped her large yellow backpack on the ground. It wasn't as heavy as it often was since she used a lot of the supplies before now. She rummaged through the backpack and pulled out two bottles of modern flu and cold medicine. "This medicine is from my home. You have to be very careful with it. I'll show you how to use it the first time and then leave it with you to use yourselves. Bring Akane so she can learn too."

"Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you." Genzo said with joy and pulled Kagome into a tight hug. He was so relieved that she could help with this that he pulled her along excitedly. When Kagome discovered that his son was one of those afflicted, she understood why he rushed her. She showed him, his wife, and three of the other villagers what to do, but made sure they knew this was all she could give them. The bottles were full, so they should have enough to take care of those that were sick. Grateful, the village applauded Kagome as she left the hut and handed her and the group a few supplies as thanks.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Kagome's shoulder and her body was pushed back some. She looked down to see an arrow had struck her. The villagers began to panic and as a second arrow came from the forests edge, Inuyasha hit it out of the air, the thin stick breaking in two.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Inuyasha asked as Kagome stared at the arrow.

"MOMMA!" Shippo hurried over and was about to jump on her shoulder, but Sango caught him.

"Shippo, wait." Sango said and went to see how deep the wound was.

"It honestly doesn't hurt as bad as I would expect…" Kagome said with confusion as she went to pull the arrow from her shoulder, "It's not that deep. Whoever hit me is not very good with a bow."

"Speaking of…" Inuyasha growled and ran off the direction the arrow came.

"Lady Kagome, are you alright?" Genzo asked, coming out of the hut in a hurry when he was told of the news, "I can't believe this… Who would do such a thing? Would you like to sit down?"

"Yes, please." Kagome said and was led over to a small wooden bench. She held her shoulder and lowered her gaze to the ground, lost in thought as the villagers talked around her.

"Kagome, shouldn't we use your kit?" Sango asked and went for the yellow backpack.

"No, it's okay. We'll bandage it up, but normally. It really isn't that deep." Kagome said a few moments after realizing Sango had asked her a question. She held her hand over the wound and looked out to the forest, waiting for Inuyasha to return with news of who attacked her.

Miroku stood quietly on the sidelines, watching a certain person who seemed a bit on edge. He noticed a strange tone in Genzo's voice when he asked about Kagome's well-being. As one of the most intuitive of the group, Miroku did notice deceptions, human and demon alike, more often than anyone else. This situation pinged some sort of nerve at the back of his mind and as he stared at Genzo, the man must have sensed the glare because he looked up to him and immediately turned away.

Miroku did not like the guilty expression Genzo had, or the sweat on his brow. As he watched the nervous man more, Genzo began slowly distancing himself from Kagome and himself. Seeing this, Miroku decided it was time to get some answers and stepped up to Genzo with a striking glare.

"Genzo." Miroku raised his voice sternly, an aura of authority demanding his attention and the attention of those that surrounded them. Miroku's eyes caused the man to stiffen in silence. "You're hiding something. I suggest you speak up about this now before it gets any worse, especially for you."

"Miroku, what are you doing?" Kagome asked.

"Do you know who is out there? Who attacked Kagome?" Miroku shouted louder, stepping up to the man. Genzo backed away, shaking his head and holding his hands up in fear.

"Miroku, what has gotten into you?" Sango stepped between the two, but Miroku's gaze did not falter. He stared so strongly at Genzo that with every passing moment, the man buckled more and more under the guilt he felt over this unknown plan.

"SPEAK." Miroku yelled over Sango's shoulder. Seeing that Miroku was deadly serious, more so than she was used to, Sango looked back to Genzo in horror.

"Genzo, you didn't… do anything, did you?" Sango asked.

"I-I…" Genzo shook his head and backed away more, but the distance wasn't enough. He turned and began to flee from them, but suddenly bumped into Inuyasha, who had just landed a moment before. Inside Inuyasha's hands was an unconscious man from the village, one they recognized.

"Do you have something to do with this?" Inuyasha asked, a darkness in his eyes that sent terror down Genzo's spine. He turned to run, but an anger welled up in someone else. Genzo's body was suddenly thrown back to the side. When people realized who struck him, everyone was shocked.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Sango shouted angrily, a venomous hiss infecting her voice as she spoke, one that clearly showed the intent to kill if she did not like Genzo's answer.

"I had no choice!" Genzo yelled, sliding back away from Sango as she raised her hiraikotsu over her head.

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF NOW." Sango shouted more. Inuyasha was soon hiding behind Kagome with Shippo and Miroku was standing stunned. Sango was not one to raise her demon-slaying weapon against a mere mortal, but the utter rage in her eyes left her friends stunned. Sango swung hiraikotsu over her head and slammed it with all her might down at Genzo's side, creating a large indent in the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Genzo curled into the fetal position.

"Please, stop!" a familiar feminine voice rang out and the one it belonged to rushed forward and threw herself over her husband, "It isn't his fault. A demon came to us in the night and said you were on your way back and that if we wanted our village to survive, we had to kill Kagome. We didn't want to, but he threatened our children! Please, don't kill my husband! He has been destroying himself over this since we had to make the decision to protect our family. We would never **want** to hurt any of you. You've been so good to us, but we cannot risk the lives of our people or our children."

Sango had hiraikotsu lifted above her head as Akane explained the situation. Miroku closed his eyes and let the decision fall with Sango. Inuyasha was still hiding with Shippo and Kagome had fallen silent, unsure of what to say. Normally, they'd never want to harm someone like this, but…

Sango let a tear fall down her face, her eyes quickly turning red as she tried to hold them back. She lowered her hiraikotsu and then let it fall to the floor. She fell to her knees and put her hands over her eyes, crying into them. Miroku placed a hand on Sango's shoulder and released a tense breath.

"In our recent weeks, we've been going through something that feels impossible to overcome and the woman you attempted to kill today has received the worst of it all." Miroku began, his eyes closed and his hands shaking, "W-We… We're t-trying… to be strong, b-but…" Miroku choked on his words, the weight of tears threatening to fall becoming too much and finally they released. His face was soaked, droplets of pure sorrow sliding down his cheeks without the normal filter he had. Miroku was never one to cry and no one in the group could think of a time that it happened. He was the strongest of them all.

They all watched him struggle to retake control of his demeanor, but he wasn't able to. Kagome couldn't keep watching. It was the attack on her that brought these tears to Miroku's eyes and that was too much to deal with. She clenched her jaw, shut her eyes, and lowered faced the floor so her hair would block anyone from seeing the tears she allowed to fall.

Sango turned her head upwards to watch Miroku cry while trying to comfort her and explain the situation without saying too much. Seeing him break helped her calm down, but only for his sake. She tried to think of a way to help him feel better, but in this moment, his tears spoke for all of them.

"We need to go." Inuyasha spoke up quietly and stood up.

Inuyasha motioned to Kilala, who understood what he wanted. The small feline demon ran up to Miroku and Sango, nuzzling against them before she transformed. Kilala motioned for them to get on and took Sango, Miroku, and Shippo away from the village quickly. Shippo tried to stay, but Inuyasha made him go. Kagome stayed behind, but didn't move a muscle as Inuyasha interrogated the village about what the demon looked like. He received his description and did not like what he heard.

"Long white hair?" Inuyasha said just loud enough that Kagome heard it.

Kagome's attention quickly went to the conversation Inuyasha was having. Her heart began to race almost as fast as her mind. Sesshomaru did this? He wanted her dead? Why not just kill her himself? Why would he threaten a human village? Wasn't that beneath him? Maybe not… You'd think rape was beneath Sesshomaru, but he went on and did that too. Even if he was out of his mind at the time, it was done.

"Did this demon have markings on his face as well? A moon or stripes?" Inuyasha asked, eyes narrowed.

"No, he did not. His face was plain and he wore clothes the color of the night sky." Genzo explained and both Inuyasha and Kagome's fears fell. For Sesshomaru to take such an action, Inuyasha would never have stopped until his brother was dead and Kagome wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

"Alright, thanks." Inuyasha turned away, but Genzo called out desperately.

"What about us? We didn't do as he said, so he'll slaughter us all." Genzo reminded them. Inuyasha looked around at the terrified villagers and then back to Kagome, who just gave him a pitiful look.

"Uh…" Inuyasha scratched his cheek and smiled when he got an idea, "Just tell him we didn't come by land. We flew overhead on Kilala and rushed right passed you."

"I don't think that will help. He's an evil demon. He'll still kill us." Akane said sadly.

"Tell him you killed me a mile passed the village. We'll even spill some of my blood around there so there is some evidence." Kagome suddenly came up with, "He'll have to confirm my death on his own and the only way is by going to Kaede's village. We'll set up a fake funeral and lure him in."

"Nice idea, Kagome." Inuyasha said and nodded to Genzo, "Do that."

The answer given was one that left worries, but was still better than nothing. Inuyasha picked Kagome up into his arms and carried her off toward the rest of the groups scent. When the two arrived with the rest, Sango and Miroku were sitting down, leaning against the Sacred Tree. Miroku's eyes were bloodshot from crying, but he had been able to stop. Shippo sat a few feet away from them, the melancholy young demon not saying anything and looking defeated. Kilala was her normal self, curling up in Sango's lap. Sango was still fighting tears every now and then, but kept trying to hold onto them.

Kagome was set on her feet. She looked at her friends and her heart sank. She didn't realize how much this impacted them too. She had been hurt badly and they were just as upset as she was. It was strange to her because they were so positive and supportive about it. They only let her see the strong sides of them. Sango cried with her and reassured Kagome she was the same woman she always was.

"I didn't know." Kagome spoke up to break the silence, "And I don't understand it…"

There was only silence and that caused her heart to race and pressure to build up in her eyes.

"We love you, Kagome." Miroku said sincerely, catching everyone off guard with the distraught sound of his voice, "And someone we love was hurt terribly and we weren't there. Then… your scream." Miroku said 'your scream' in a way that made him want to vomit. He even heaved as he recalled Naraku's attack on the village a few weeks ago. "We couldn't get to you. If Ses-…" he stopped, "Then at the sea you almost drowned and today you were shot. Sango got so mad that she raised her weapon to a human with the intention to to kill him. One wrong word, I'm sure she would have… and I was going to let her."

Sango suddenly began sobbing. She curled her knees to her chest and cried, trying to be quieter.

"I doubt you would've le-…" Kagome started.

"Kagome." Miroku interrupted, looked her straight in the eyes and nodded, "I would have let her. It didn't even come to my mind to stop her from doing it. If she hadn't stepped between me and Genzo, I'm afraid it would have been me. The number of times you have been in danger recently and none of us could do anything about it angers me. It… also… terrifies me. No, it terrifies all of us. Knowing you are currently without your powers only makes it worse. We can't imagine our lives without you."

"Miroku, I've almost died many times here." Kagome said and sat in front of him and Sango, "The Dark Priestess Tsubaki, the Band of Seven, Kanna sucking out my soul…"

"Your soul." Inuyasha spoke up suddenly and everyone looked to him, "I have an idea."

"What, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked at the sudden change in subject.

"Kikyo." Inuyasha said and everyone but Kagome shot him a dark look that caused him to withdraw a moment, but he soon calmed down, "Kikyo holds part of your soul and is a priestess. If anyone can give you advice on your powers, it would be her, wouldn't it? If we, and I mean all of us, went to find her, maybe she can do something to help you recover them."

"I don't want Kikyo knowing anything about what happened to me." Kagome spat in irritation.

"We don't have to tell her exactly what happened, but she's smart enough she may figure it out on her own…" Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry, I thought it'd work."

"No, I agree." Miroku's demeanor strengthened, "Kikyo is a wise woman. We need to speak with her."

"But…" Kagome began, obviously apprehensive about the idea.

"Kagome, she is the one person that can answer our questions." Miroku said and seemed a little excited about the idea, which did not go unnoticed.

Kagome and Sango looked to each other, but Sango showed little reaction toward any of this. Sango shook her head and shrugged, implying she really didn't know and that it was up to Kagome. Kagome thought on how devastated Sango was at all of this and decided Miroku's idea may be best. If Miroku was so confident that he would push to go see Kikyo of all people, then that's what they needed to do.

"Alright, fine." Kagome raised her hands in defeat and stood up, "Let's go find her, but I don't want to start tonight. The bleeding stopped, but my shoulder still hurts. Let's get back to Kaede and have her tend to it. We'll get some rest and then be off, okay? I'm not rushing this."

"We understand, Kagome." Sango forced up a smile and stood next to her friend.

The two of them had already discussed this. Kagome did not need to rush her recovery and Sango was happy to see that she was taking that to heart. Even if Miroku was oddly excited about speaking with Kikyo, there was no way Sango was going to push Kagome.

With that settled, the group made their way back to Kaede's village and told the old woman of their travels as she bandaged Kagome's shoulder. Kaede was used to hearing these stories, but it wasn't often that Kagome seemed to be the main target of such attacks. Who would want Kagome dead?

"And this demon who forced Genzo to set a trap for ye'?" Kaede asked a she finished up.

"Genzo said it was a demon with silver hair," Inuyasha said and all but Kagome gasped in shock, "I know. That was my reaction too, but he went on to say the demon wore dark clothing and had no markings on his face. There is no way that is my brother. Besides, Sesshomaru wouldn't bother with humans."

"What else did you ask?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Nothing, why?" Inuyasha replied.

"Just wondering if there was anything else about the description."

"No, just that."

"No specific weapons or a type of armor?"

"Not from what Genzo said. I guess I should have asked more. I'll head back tomorrow to ask."

"No, don't bother." Miroku waved the idea off, "Genzo would have spilled everything specific about him, especially after Sango frightened him so badly. I'm sure you got it all."

"Yeah, right!" Shippo spoke up with a big smile on his face, "Kaede, you should have seen Sango. She was so mad at Genzo that she crushed the ground and made a big crater. Genzo was so scared I thought he was going to pee his pants and even Inuyasha was hiding behind Kagome. Haha."

"I see. Hahaha." Kaede chuckled at the image Shippo gave.

"At the time it was scary," Miroku said when he saw Sango's guilt and nudged her, "But now it's only something to laugh about. I think it helped us get a lot out and proved how much we all care for Kagome. As I said, I was ready to kill him myself and that's unusual. Sango and I were just so angry that, once again, we could not protect Kagome from being harmed, but what made this worse was it was someone we trusted betraying us and luring us into a trap. He's lucky his reasons were understood."

"So, when do we set up this funeral you told Genzo about?" Sango asked.

"Oh no. We should do that immediately." Kagome said and quickly began looking through her bag. She pulled out an empty water bottle and cut her hand open with an arrow from her quiver.

"Kagome?" Sango said in shock.

"It's okay." Kagome said as she let the blood drop into the bottle and then gave it to Inuyasha, "Put this on the road. If we're going to lure him in, it has to be now. He may be checking their story as we speak."

"Right." Inuyasha took the bottle, his face unhappily distorted.

"What's wrong?"

"I hate the smell of your blood." He said and walked out of the hut.

Kagome was not sure what he meant by that, but the others got it, even Shippo. She looked at her hand and smelled it, wondering if there was something wrong with it.

"When you're bleeding, you're hurt. He hates that you're hurt." Shippo explained very clearly.

"Oh." Was all Kagome said in reply as she looked to the door, a small smile on her face, "That's nice."

.

.

The village was very quiet once the sun went down. Everyone was instructed to stay safely in their huts or at least near them to prevent them from being drawn into the possible battle coming up. The air was nice and cool, allowing the group some comfort as they waited in Kaede's hut with the campfire out. They were anxious now, hoping that this demon that trapped Kagome at Genzo's village would show himself sometime soon and they could release their rage on him a thousand-fold.

The only one that could relax was Shippo, who slept quietly and used Kilala as a pillow. Sango had not let go of her weapon for a moment and sometimes gripped it so tightly in anticipation that Miroku put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. Miroku leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, his staff laying between his arm and chest as he tried to sense any incoming danger. Inuyasha's senses were on high alert, his ears twitching at any sound. He often took deep inhales through his nose, trying to catch any new scent on the breeze. Kagome was covered in a blanket, waiting as patiently as she could.

No one said a word. They were too tense to truly relax. The trees outside rustled. Even Sango and Miroku could hear the cat meowing up the stone stairs next to Kaede's hut. Inuyasha took in another deep breath and his eyes shot toward the door. Sango took that at time to move and got to her feet, but Inuyasha held his hand out to stop her. She waited, wanting nothing more than to rush out and fight.

"It's… my brother's scent. Why is he here?" Inuyasha whispered and looked to the group. They all looked just as confused as he was, except for Miroku, who looked absolutely livid. Inuyasha saw the enraged expression on Miroku's face and blinked. "Miroku?"

"What?" Miroku asked, his tone harsher than he meant.

"Uh…" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm fine, just annoyed that he's around again." Miroku explained, rolling his eyes.

"Looked like more than annoyance." Inuyasha replied and then he caught another scent and quickly stood up, "There's another demon out there. It's him. It has to be."

Inuyasha and Sango rushed out of the hut without another word. Miroku stood and soon ran out of the hut as well. However, when he exited, he ran off a different direction.

"Miroku, he's this way!" Sango called out to him, but was ignored. She thought to run after Miroku, but after what this demon did to Kagome, her mind kept her priorities on protecting her friend.

Sango and Inuyasha hurried off toward the demon he smelled. As they arrived, Sango took no time to waste and threw hiraikotsu as hard as she could. The weapon was meant to cut the demon in half, but he leaned back and it flew right over him instead. When the two took the time to look at their opponent, he didn't match the description of the demon who threatened Genzo at all. This demon stood almost seven-foot-tall, was a humanoid in bodily structure, and had long static-like blond hair that floated with the power of the demon aura he was releasing. The very ground beneath this demon was powered with bright yellow electricity firing in random directions.

"Wh-Who is he?" Sango asked, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand.

"I don't know. I've never met him before." Inuyasha said, watching this terrifying demon continue its approach. That demonic aura was overwhelming for Sango and even intimidated Inuyasha. The two stood their ground, but not without a few natural reservations.

"Inuyasha…" Sango stuttered some.

"Yeah?" he replied, glancing to her for but a moment and returned his gaze to their opponent.

The demon just kept walking at them with bright blue pupil-less eyes and this horrifying expression of psychotic levels of excitement that could pierce the souls of anyone weaker than those standing before him. His hands stretched and claws similar to Inuyasha's extended outwards.

"This is bad." Sango said, her voice trembling.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: A Change of Mind

Kagome hadn't sensed it at first, but a crackling in the air caught her attention. It was a demonic aura unlike she had ever sensed before and it sent chills up her spine. She felt her heart race and her stomach turning at the thought of what they may be fighting up there. Even Naraku had not come up with a spawn as potent and dangerous as what she could feel while hidden inside the hut. She opened her mouth, finding it hard to breathe through her nose. Was this the demon that wanted her dead?

Kagome looked down to Shippo, who had woken up and began covering his ears and shaking. She took the boy in her arms and held him close. His entire body was shaking and he held onto her so tight. That feeling brought Kagome's arms tighter around him. She needed him to feel safe and she couldn't provide that right now. She and Kaede were the only ones left in the hut. When Kagome looked up to Kaede, she could see beads of sweat sliding down her face. Seeing Kaede so affected by this scared her most of all. She glanced out the hut window and then to Shippo, realizing that he was not safe and that would not do.

"Kaede." Kagome called her name, but got no response, so she called out again.

"Y-Yes, child?" Kaede spoke as calmly as she could, but knew she was not hiding her fear well.

"Do me a favor, please?" Kagome asked.

"Anything, child. What do you need?" Kagome moved onto her knees and walked over to Kaede. She placed Shippo in the old woman's arms, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Take him." Kagome begged.

"Wh-What?" Shippo asked in shock.

"Kagome, why?" Kaede's eye widened.

"You know why. We can all sense it and it's after me." Kagome said with a tear falling for each word struggling from her labored breathing, "Take him, take a horse, and run."

"Kagome, I can't do that." Kaede shook her head.

"Kaede!" Kagome grabbed Kaede's shoulders, "Shippo is the most important thing in my life. He is my son and he is not safe here. Neither are you. I am asking you to take my son to safety."

"Momma, no." Shippo jumped out of Kaede's arms and into Kagome's, "Please, I don't wanna go."

"Shippo, sweetie, you have to." Kagome said and looked into his eyes. She remembered all the things he was forced to watch and how he always had her back. He had gotten hurt before, risked his life for her, and would end up doing such a thing again. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"Y-yes!" Shippo said, wiping tears away as he was placed back in Kaede's arms.

"Then go with Kaede and I will either be with you again, or I won't. If I am, then great, but if the worst should happen," Kagome's face distorted for a moment as she held back tears and took a breath, "Know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and that I want you to grow up big, strong, and with a good heart. Always stay kindhearted."

"O-Okay." Shippo shook as Kagome kissed his forehead.

"Now go." Kagome demanded of Kaede and then she yelled again when Kaede hesitated, "GO."

Kaede got up and ran out of the hut, heading the opposite way of the battle and toward the village stables. Once they were gone, Kagome buckled over herself and began sobbing heavily. She had to cover her mouth to make sure no one else could hear her, but the fact that she was forced to send her son away so soon after they became Mother and Son was crushing the spirit she was trying to heal. The only thing she knew had to happen here was that Shippo was sent to safety. He survived so much, but this demonic aura she sensed was nothing to be trifled with. She won't ever risk her son's life. Not again.

It took her a minute or two to regain her composure and calm down enough to stand. When she did, she stood up and started out of the hut. She stopped at the door and looked back to her bow. She reached out to grab it, but stopped. This demon was powerful and this bow was useless in her hands no matter how much she had been practicing. Her powers were gone and so she did not grab it. She walked out of the hut without a weapon in hand and began walking up the stairs and toward the sound of fighting.

.

.

This demon didn't say a single word to Sango or Inuyasha. It rushed forward as fast as lightning, a speed that only one other demon Inuyasha knew to have. It's first target was Sango, who had no time to react to such an attack. Inuyasha brought himself between Sango and their attacker and unsheathed Tetsusaiga just in time to use the large blade as a shield. However, he was still pushed back into Sango and both of them went flying. They landed with a hard thud and rolled before stopping.

Inuyasha was the first to his feet and was once again forced to shield Sango with Tetsusaiga. A little more ready for the strength this time, he was able to stop it without being blown away. He yelled as he pushed back and the demon jumped back away from him. He rapidly shot out a Windscar, not wanting to give the demon another time to attack. The Windscar was about to strike him, but he jumped in the air and somehow changed his trajectory midair and shot toward Inuyasha.

Inuyasha jumped out of the way and the demon's claw hit the ground. The ground beneath was turned into a crater that spread far enough that Sango also had to jump away. The debris crumbled into dust and the demonic aura turned the grass and stone to ash. Inuyasha and Sango looked on in horror.

"This power… I've never even heard of such a thing." Sango said as she took a few steps back. Her movement seemed to catch the demon's attention because he looked over to her, his smile widening and showing off his elongated fangs. The look in its eyes sent shivers all over her body. She braced herself and put the hiraikotsu up like a shield, "Who are you and why do you want our friend dead?"

"Hm?" the demon raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, showing the first sign of understanding they had seen, but then just smiled and charged Sango again. The dash closed the distance before Inuyasha could get there, but the hiraikotsu took the brunt of the damage, a chunk of the bone-made weapon being broken off. Sango was sent flying. Midair, she lost her grip on the hiraikotsu. It dropped to the floor and she continued rolling after landing hard.

The demon was ready to charge Sango once more and finished the job, but Inuyasha interrupted his movement with a well-aimed swing of his blade. Unfortunately, this demon's reaction time was higher than expected and it dodged the Tetsusaiga with little effort. However, the attack did get its attention back on Inuyasha, which is where Inuyasha wanted it. Since Sango was hurt, the only one that could fight this thing was Inuyasha himself. Inuyasha took a few steps to the side, putting himself between Sango and the demon, who seemed to find the attempt amusing because he sneered and smirked.

"You gonna answer the question or not?" Inuyasha said, but didn't really give time for it to answer before firing out another Windscar. He expected it to dodge, but that's not what happened.

"Heh…" the demon breathed out as the Windscar hit and over took him. It only lasted a few seconds. Once it was revealed again, the demon stood without a mark on him.

"He took the full brunt of the Windscar and nothing happened?" Inuyasha shouted frustratedly, "Damn you. What kind of monster are you? And what problem do you have wi-… K-Kagome?"

The demon saw the sudden fear in Inuyasha's eyes, but knew that the fear wasn't sparked by his presence, so it looked back to see what exactly Inuyasha was looking at. When he looked back, he saw Kagome standing there. She was a young black-haired woman with strange clothing. He looked back at Sango, then at Kagome, then at Sango again, and then pointed at Kagome as if he had some sort of epiphany.

"Ah." The demon nodded and went to charge Kagome, but Inuyasha once again stopped his attempts with a Windscar. This time, the demon was struck by it, but wasn't harmed enough to stop him completely. He felt the searing pain on his back and looked to Inuyasha, his eerie blue eyes narrowing angerily. Suddenly, his demonic aura flared up, lightning striking at a farther range around the battlefield, and he ran toward Inuyasha again. His speed must have doubled because Inuyasha had no time to dodge. The pain was sudden and unbearable. The demon's hand shoved completely through his chest, a wound he had before, but when the lightning this man had struck down from the sky and shot throughout his entire body, he could only yell in pain. The shock kept coming and coming and coming.

"STOP IT." Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs and the lightning stopped.

The demon looked toward her, a curious expression on his face. He dropped his arm and Inuyasha slowly slipped down and off, blood splattering everywhere. The demon began walking toward Kagome, holding a hand out as lightning began to form in the palm of his hand.

Kagome was frozen in fear. Sango was down and Inuyasha was unconscious. She had no weapon and no power to use it even if she did. She was able to see the speed of this demon and knew nothing could save her from this fate, but that did not stop her from trying to think of something. As the demon approached, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Kaede, and Inuyasha's safety came to mind. She saw times with them flashing through her head, felt the love and pain they had experienced together. There was a high chance that people she loved were going to die here today. She doubted this wild demon would stop with her. There was only one idea, one thing that came to her mind to stop this demon.

"S-Sesshomaru… P-Please." She choked the words out in desperation, through tears brought on because of the fear of death, as the demon raised his hand and shot a powerful bolt of blinding yellow lightning at her chest, "Save us."

.

.

Miroku ran off a different direction than his friends with a different mission on his mind. He could sense where Sesshomaru was standing. The demon wasn't moving and he was going to speak with him. As he ran out of the village and into the forest, he stopped for a moment when he sensed that demonic aura spread over the land. He hesitated, but forced himself to continue forward, having to trust his friends to take care of themselves for now.

Soon, Miroku came upon Sesshomaru, who seemed to be waiting for him. The moment Miroku saw him, a rage overwhelmed his heart and he removed the prayer beads from his hand and opened the Wind Tunnel without a moment of hesitation.

Sesshomaru could sense the monk on his way, so when he was close, he faced him and expected to be bombarded with more questions. He didn't even draw his blade. However, he was not expecting the immediate release of that blasted Wind Tunnel. For a brief moment, his eyes widened and he grabbed Tokijin and slammed it into the ground to brace himself.

"You did this, didn't you?" Miroku shouted angrily at him, but got no answer, "You've been sending demons at her to get rid of her? To hide the evidence of an act that you're ashamed of?"

"I am ashamed of nothing!" Sesshomaru shouted back over the howling wind, his foot digging into the dirt as he began being drawn in.

"Bullshit! You can't kill her or us yourself because of that damn mark, so you're sending others to target her for you, aren't you?" Miroku yelled, demanding answers as he walked closer with Wind Tunnel going to make the force trying to suck Sesshomaru in even stronger.

"Enough of this!" Sesshomaru commanded as he slipped into a kneeling position, sinking a claw into the ground and forcing Tōkijin deeper into the ground. He realized that this Wind Tunnel may actually work.

"I thought you were better than this, Sesshomaru!" Miroku yelled, "This is the devious act that only an evil human would commit! It's pathetic and was something I thought beneath you. I guess even a demon like you could get desperate, can't you?"

"I am NOT desperate."

"THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL IT?"

Miroku and Sesshomaru glared at each other, testing the others will. Sesshomaru was the one to take a deep breath. He closed his eyes and Miroku took that as a sign of defeat. He withdrew the Wind Tunnel and reapplied the prayer beads. This action surprised Sesshomaru and the demon stood up and was tempted to attack Miroku now.

"You stopped. Why?" he asked.

Miroku was silent for a moment, contemplating the answer. He just shook his head.

"I don't know." He said and looked through a few trees and toward the village. He could see a few huts down the hill they were standing on, but most of all, he could see the battlefield and sense the demonic aura that made his skin crawl, even from this distance. He rubbed his arms to lessen the goosebumps. His eyes widened as he walked through the trees. "Oh god, no." he said as he stepped through and saw Sango down and Kagome walking up the stairs, "Kagome, what are… She's going to sacrifice herself."

"Mm." Sesshomaru said, startling the monk that didn't think he had followed.

"What?" a familiar voice caught the two's attention. They turned back to see Shippo and Kaede on a horse. Shippo jumped off the horse and ran over to them.

"Shippo, no." Miroku grabbed the boy, but he squirmed out of Miroku's arms to look anyway. The child immediately began trembling and went to jump down the hill, but Miroku caught him, "No."

Kaede came up behind them just in time to see Inuyasha get impaled through the chest by the demon's arm. The old woman watched the scene, tears washing over her left cheek.

"S-Sesshomaru, c-can you help them? P-Please." Kaede begged desperately and Shippo and Miroku both looked up at him, "I know you don't get along with your brother, b-but that's a huge part of my family down there and I don't want to out live them. I don't want to bury another person I love."

Sesshomaru stayed quiet, not moving a muscle as he watched the battle. Inuyasha's scream could be heard from their location and a few moments later, so could Kagome's. That scream caused Sesshomaru to flinch, something Kaede and Miroku both saw. They looked to the battle again. Miroku tried to cover Shippo's eyes, but was bitten. Miroku hissed in pain as the boy tried running off again, but Miroku dove for him and pulled him into a tight hug, mostly to keep him in place.

"M-Mommy…" Shippo said as he started crying in Miroku's arms, trying to get free, struggling against Miroku with all of his might, "Mommy!"

Sesshomaru let out a short huff of air when he heard Shippo call Kagome out as his Mom. He could feel Miroku's eyes on him and glanced down. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelmingly strong pull on his mind, heart, body and soul. Every ounce of his being shifted and he took a step forward.

.

.

" _S-Sesshomaru… P-Please." She choked the words out in desperation, through tears brought on because of the fear of death, as the demon raised his hand and shot a powerful bolt of blinding yellow lightning at her chest, "Save us."_

Kagome blinked as the light overtook her vision and she expected them to never open again, but when she could feel herself standing there and nothing struck her, she opened her eyes to see the back of a familiar demon. She gasped and Sesshomaru looked back at her to see the surprise.

"You came." Kagome muttered and took a step to the side.

Sesshomaru stood there with Tōkijin out. The sword was smoking, the demon blade having absorbed the lightning that was meant for Kagome. The girl he just saved collapsed and just stared up at him in disbelief, completely awestruck, as if she had just seen an angel perform a miracle.

Sesshomaru said nothing to Kagome and focused on the battle. His own demonic aura began over taking the area, but Kagome sensed something different about it. It was stronger than she had felt before, even stronger than when he would turn into his large dog form. She knew he'd win.

The win did not take long either. The demon saw Sesshomaru standing there and suddenly became irate and wild. He howled at Sesshomaru and began firing blast after blast of lightning, all attacks that Sesshomaru's Tōkijin was able to absorb without problem. With each failed attack, the demon became more and more enraged and began a close quarters strategy. He charged Sesshomaru, who dodged, but Sesshomaru found that the demon being that close to Kagome wasn't something he liked. Sesshomaru grabbed it by the neck, his poisoned claws leaking their acid into the demon's skin before he threw him opposite of everyone. The demon slammed against the side of a hill, making a large indent.

However, it wasn't hurt. It stood up and charged Kagome instead of Sesshomaru, but the silver haired demon blocked the wild blond again, this time using Tōkijin. Sesshomaru swung his blade in a single swift swing and sliced the demon in two. His body fell to the ground, but was somehow still breathing. He looked up at Sesshomaru, eyes filled with wild anger.

"Y-You… trai…" the demon tried to speak, but was cut off by his own death.

Sesshomaru sheathed Tōkijin and looked back to Kagome. He walked over to her, grabbed her by her shirt, and lifted her to her feet. Kagome tensed at first, but when she saw the look in his eyes, she calmed down. He looked strange and she couldn't place it. Tired was the closest she could guess.

.

.

One moment Sesshomaru was there and the next he was gone. Miroku had been able to mostly follow Sesshomaru's movements in previous battles, but not this time. He looked across the way toward the battle and saw Sesshomaru standing like a shield for Kagome, having stopped his friend from dying. He continued to hold Shippo, refusing to tell the boy anything different until he knew things were okay.

"Ha." Miroku smiled and began to laugh, which confused Shippo, so he turned the boy to look, "Look. Sesshomaru saved them all. The demon is dead and Kagome is just fine."

"Let's go." Kaede was quickly helped onto the horse. Miroku jumped on as well, holding Shippo as they raced back to the battle field.

.

.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru." Kagome said sincerely. She was still in shock, but she was grateful.

Kagome looked over to Inuyasha and Sango. Inuyasha was still unconscious, but Sango was able to watch it all. Seeing her friends like that focused Kagome's mind for a moment. She began running toward them, but suddenly felt very weak and tumbled forward as her vision blurred. She would have hit the ground if it wasn't for Sesshomaru wrapping an arm around her and holding her up. Her breathing was labored and she was sweating profusely, but he knew she'd be alright. He brushed her hair out of her face and watched her closely for a moment. He noticed something at the edge of his keen sense of smell and leaned in to Kagome. He took in her scent; a pleasant aroma filled his nostrils. She didn't smell like the humans he was used to, which left him curious about what type of life she led.

Sesshomaru looked up to see that an extremely confused Sango was watching him with wide eyes and a slightly tilted head. He narrowed his eyes, causing Sango to look away with a fake innocent expression, but she looked back a moment later to see he was still staring at her. Sesshomaru placed Kagome down on her back and as he stood, he heard footsteps making their way over. He smelled the monk, child and old woman he previously left on the hill.

The three got to the top and Miroku ran by Sesshomaru and Kagome to Sango. The monk slid along the ground to stop by her side and began examining her to see how hurt she was.

"Sango, are you alright?" he asked in a panic and helped her into a sitting position. Once she sat up, she suddenly slapped him across the face, leaving a solid handprint on his face, a moment that entertained Sesshomaru from where he stood. "Ow… why did you hit me?"

"Where were you?" Sango shouted at him, tears in her eyes, "You left me!"

"Sango, I'm sorry. There was something I really, really needed to deal with." Miroku said, lowering his head, "I know you got hurt. I was scared I was going to lose you…"

"You almost did!" Sango shouted again.

Miroku leaned into Sango and pulled her into an embrace, giving her a gentle hug.

"I'm so sorry, Sango. I hope I never have to leave your side again." Miroku spoke sincerely as the fear he once held faded from him.

"Mi-Miroku?" Sango watched him with her cheeks a deep red, but a realization came to mind. She grabbed his hands and pushed them away. "Don't even try it, lecherous monk."

Miroku sat down and stared at her, saying nothing. He looked away, toward the forest with sadness in his eyes. Sango saw this and became concerned.

"Miroku, are you okay?" she asked.

"No, I'm not." Miroku said and sighed, "I know I deserved that, but caressing you was not my intention. I can't get mad at you because I do it all the time, but in this situation, it would be very inappropriate and besides," Miroku looked down to his hands, "After what happened to Kagome, I don't feel right doing it anymore. It's why I haven't done it in so long. It feels… wrong. I just wanted you to be okay."

"I see…" Sango said and kissed Miroku's cheek suddenly. He blushed quickly and blinked at her, but she just smiled and pointed toward Inuyasha, "Please, check on him. He took a really bad hit."

Miroku nodded and went over to Inuyasha. He pulled open the red cloak and checked on the wound. It was bad, very bad, and seeing it made him worry. Inuyasha came back from these before, but it was the repeated lightning strikes that worried Miroku the most. Miroku could still sense bits of lightning coursing through Inuyasha's body. The fact that Inuyasha was still breathing and his pulse was strong gave some promise, but he'd need time to heal.

"I'm sure he'll be okay." Miroku said, but his confidence in the statement wasn't strong.

"K-Kagome." Inuyasha struggled to speak as he came to. The last thing he remembered brought him shooting up into a sitting position. "K-Kagome!" he yelled, looking around. He saw his brother standing over Kagome and tried forcing himself to his feet, willing to fight, but Miroku stopped him.

"She's fine, Inuyasha. Calm down. Your injuries are bad."

"Sh-She is?" Inuyasha dropped to a knee and looked over to Kagome.

Kagome's eyes slowly opened to a nightmare she had many times. Sesshomaru was standing over her and all she could do is freeze. He sensed her labored breathing and increased heartrate, so he looked down to her, raising an eyebrow. He kneeled down and brought a struggling Shippo to hang over her.

"Let me go, you monster!" Shippo yelled, having been struggling against the older demon's grip ever since he tried to tackle Kagome's unconscious body with a too much excitement.

"Shippo?" Kagome said and the boy calmed down.

"Momma!" Shippo said excitedly and reached out, running in the air since Sesshomaru didn't let him go.

"Shippo!" Kagome sat up and pulled the boy into her arms, Sesshomaru finally letting him go and standing up, "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to send you away, but you had to be safe."

"I know, Momma." Shippo just laid his head on Kagome's shoulder and closed his eyes, "I love you."

"I love you to, Shippo." Kagome blinked, her first tear of joy falling from her eyes.

Inuyasha was delighted at the scene. He took a few quick breaths as the pain began to return; the adrenaline caused by not knowing whether Kagome was safe was wearing off. He looked up to Sesshomaru, who looked back at him. The two stared at each other, Sesshomaru's demeanor not shifting at all. Inuyasha, however, pushed up a grateful smile and nodded in thanks to his older brother. Obviously, Sesshomaru had saved them all. He'd want to know why, but for now, their safety was all that he needed to see.

The gesture surprised Sesshomaru. He couldn't remember a time that Inuyasha smiled at him and he knew the nod meant was to show gratitude. He was unsure of how to reply, so he didn't. Instead, he watched his brother fall to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku returned to his friend's side, his calling out catching everyone else's attention. Kagome and Shippo ran over as well, leaving Sesshomaru there to watch silently, stuck with his own thoughts.

Kaede stepped up to his side, her hands held behind her back. There was silence for some time, but after some thought, Kaede figured out what she wanted to say to him.

"When was the last time ye' were part of a family?" Kaede asked him curiously.

"What?" Sesshomaru replied, appalled by the question.

"When was the last time ye' were part of a family, Lord Sesshomaru?" she repeated politely.

"I have no family, old woman." He said bluntly.

"He doesn't hate ye', ya know?" she said, motioning toward Inuyasha.

"That is his problem."

"Aye, true. With how many fights ye' two've had, his hating you is expected, but he doesn't."

"Am I supposed to care?"

"Maybe. This world is full of loneliness and despair, Lord Sesshomaru." Kaede said, lifting her shoulders as she took a deep breath and then sighing it out, "Ever since ye' rescued Kagome, ye've been around more and more. Ye do not have to hide in the forest to watch over her."

"And why would I watch over her?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kaede tapped the side of her own neck, symbolizing that she knew what the scar on Kagome's neck actually meant. Sesshomaru stared and then closed his eyes.

"The others do not know, but I do." Kaede assumed, unaware of Miroku's deeper knowledge of Kagome's situation, "For the first few days, she was scratching it all the time, but it stopped pretty soon. They believe it to be a scar from the attack, but it's not just a scar, is it?"

"No, unfortunately, it is not."

"Is there a way to remove such a mark?"

"Not that I know of."

"I see. I guess ye' are bound to each other." Kaede said and sighed sadly, "Ye' two are in a precarious situation and if not handled carefully, everyone's life will be ruined, and I don't just mean this groups."

"What are you implying?"

"There is a lot about that young woman that ye' do not know." Kaede turned to Sesshomaru, her demeanor serious as she looked to him with her one eye, "She's more special, more powerful, and stronger than even she knows. It would be smart of ye' to stick around and learn about her. Whether ye' like it or not, ye' are strongly bound to her and that won't change, but ye' can try to make it work."

"How do we make something like this work?" Sesshomaru asked, irritated.

"It already is."

"What?"

"You saved all of us today, Lord Sesshomaru, and when I suggested ye' make a relationship with a human work, ye' did not insult her. Instead, ye' asked how. I see this as progress."

Sesshomaru stared at the old woman, eyes narrowed, but not in anger. He was thinking about his situation and what he had been feeling. He thought on his actions and how he saved her even though he was the one that sent the demon to kill her. He also thought back to that strange surge of power that came when Kagome was in danger. He wasn't disgusted by her presence the way he used to be and didn't walk away the moment things were done. It sickened him, but most of all, it confused him. He looked up to Kagome and the group as they tended to Inuyasha's wounds.

" _How powerful is that damn mark?"_ he thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: The Reveal

When everyone woke up the next morning, there were two things wrong: Inuyasha wasn't waking up and Sesshomaru was sitting in the corner of the hut. When Kagome opened her eyes, it took Kaede interrupting her with a bowl of stew to not scream out of her mind.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked fearfully.

"Lord Sesshomaru has decided to stay for a while." Kaede explained, keeping up a smile.

"Wh-What? Why?" Kagome looked from Kaede to the brooding demon lord in the corner, but gave him no chance to answer, "It doesn't matter. Y-You can't stay here. Go. Leave. Now."

"Kagome, what's wrong? Sesshomaru is the only reason we're alive." Sango spoke up, surprised by Kagome's fear and immediate rejection of the one who saved them all.

Kagome took a moment to remember the previous day. The wild demon didn't give Sango a chance to fight back and Inuyasha was almost killed. The two most skilled fighters she knew, and she herself, were going to be killed by it and Sesshomaru showed up out of nowhere. No, that wasn't entirely true and knowing that helped Kagome calm down. She remembered that he came the moment she called for him. She called for his help and he showed up like a knight in shining armor and saved all of them.

Kagome looked over to Shippo who was eating his stew, humming a tune, and not paying attention to the adults talking in the room. Kagome relaxed and turned back to Sesshomaru. She was still concerned about him staying, but it was because of him that Shippo didn't lose a second mother.

"Okay." Kagome took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for my reaction, Sesshomaru. If you wish to stay, please, stay as long as you like. I'm just confused on why you would want to be here."

"We'll see what Inuyasha says once he wakes up." Miroku said from his side of the hut, filling another bowl of stew and then glaring at Sesshomaru, "I doubt he'll be okay with this."

"Is he okay?" Kagome asked, moving over to Inuyasha's side.

"Yes, we gave him some of the medicines you brought from your time and his fever broke shortly after." Sango explained as she revealed newly wrapped bandages around Inuyasha's chest.

"From your time?" Sesshomaru spoke up, a curious eyebrow raised at the words he caught. Sango reflexively covered her mouth, looking apologetically at Kagome.

Sesshomaru watched everyone in the room act like they were hiding a secret and looked to the oldest in the room for answers. Kaede looked back and nodded at him, confirming a silent question between the two. There was something special about Kagome. Maybe this was worth looking into.

"You're from a different time?" Sesshomaru asked and Kagome rubbed the back of her head, trying to come up with an answer, "That does explain the strange clothing you wear and the contraption you often have with you."

"Contraption?" Kagome questioned.

"The contraption I've seen you riding similarly to a horse, but it's more compact and made of some sort of metal." Sesshomaru explained, his arms crossed along his chest.

"Oh, my bike." Kagome confirmed with a nod, realizing what he was talking about.

"Bike." Sesshomaru repeated to remember the phrase, but he sounded like a child learning to talk, which struck a chord with the three women in the room. They looked to each other and began chuckling, but tried really hard to hold it back because of who they were chuckling at.

"Would you like some stew, Lord Sesshomaru?" Kaede offered him a bowl.

"No. What is it you're all laughing at?" he asked, his eyes narrowed at them.

"Who would have thought that you were so talkative?" Sango asked, her hand over her mouth, giggling freely, but this only bothered Sesshomaru more.

"I was merely inquiring about the strange contraption she brought from a different time." He explained.

"Her bike." Sango said.

"Yes, the bike." He nodded sternly.

For some reason, this caused the girls to start laughing a bit harder. Maybe it was the awkwardness of Sesshomaru's presence or the need for some levity due to the day before, but they could not help themselves. Seeing Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, the older full-demon brother of Inuyasha, who was always ominous and uncaring, try and learn about something new was entertaining.

"Ha. Ha." Miroku fake laughed, killing the decent mood the women were in.

"Miroku, what's your problem?" Sango asked, but he shot her a glare and she looked away sadly.

"Hey, what the hell, Miroku?" Kagome asked when she saw Sango's reaction.

Miroku said nothing more. He just shot Sesshomaru a hateful glare before standing up and walking out of the hut. The girls looked to each other out of worry for Miroku.

"Go talk to him. Something is obviously up." Kagome tried to convince Sango.

"Alright. He's never glared at me like that before…" Sango shook the thoughts from her mind and stood up, "I'll be right back."

Sango stood up and hurried out of the hut. Everyone else but Sesshomaru chose to continue eating. Sesshomaru sat in the corner quietly, staring at Kagome more than she liked.

Sango saw Miroku walking over one of the few bridges that crossed the river and hurried after him. She called out to him, catching his attention. He stopped and turned around to face her.

"I was just going for a walk, Sango." He explained himself.

"May I join you?" she asked.

"If you'd like." He said and continued his walk.

The two walked in silence for a short time, moving along the river until Miroku decided to sit in the grass alongside it. Sango joined him, sitting by his side in silence. However, she couldn't stay silent forever.

"Mirok-…" she started.

"He raped her." Miroku interrupted and looked to the wide-eyed Sango.

"Wh-What?" she replied.

"It wasn't a random demon that he stopped. Sesshomaru is the one who raped her." He said bluntly.

"Sesshomaru, but… why would he…" Sango's heart began to race and she went to stand up, "I left her back there with him. W-With Inuyasha hurt, she's…"

"She's fine." Miroku reassured her and placed a hand on her shoulder, so she sat back down, "It wasn't completely his fault, but it definitely was not a choice he'd make."

"Miroku, what do you mean?" Sango asked, raising her voice in frustration.

"I don't fully understand it, but when a demon hits a certain time in their life, if they have not already taken a mate, their inner demon forces them to." He explained as clearly as he could, but it only confused her more, "You know how Inuyasha sometimes loses himself when he does not have hold of the Tetsusaiga? His demonic aura feels more like a full demon and his eyes change? He gets stronger?"

"Yeah…"

"It's like that, but more powerful and with mating being the goal." Miroku explained, "Sesshomaru never wanted to have sex with Kagome. He lost control of himself and his inner demon forced him to take a mate. Kagome was a victim of opportunity, attacked by a prideful man that had no control over his mind or body. In a way, he is also a victim in this."

"You think he's a victim?" Sango's protectiveness of Kagome immediately took hold.

"To a degree, but not completely." Miroku said.

"Miroku, in what way is he the victim? After what he did, how could yo-…"

"Do you blame Kohaku for the things he's done since Naraku gained control of him?" Miroku asked bluntly and Sango's thoughts began to race, "Kohaku is not in control of himself. He does not know who he is, and because of that, has hurt many people. But that's not the Kohaku you know. In that same way, Sesshomaru lost himself and committed an act that he is extremely ashamed of."

"If these are your thoughts about it, then why did you act like that back in the hut?" Sango asked.

"Because it doesn't end there." Miroku said.

"What do you mean?" Sango looked worriedly at him.

"Sesshomaru **is** the one that threatened Genzo. He also sent the demon that almost killed all of you yesterday." Miroku explained and he saw the rage build up in Sango's eyes.

"She's there with him now, Miroku."

"He cannot hurt her, or us." He reassured her, but she looked doubtfully at him, "That scar on Kagome's neck prevents him from hurting her, and from what I can tell, anyone she cares about too."

"Then why send the demon?"

"Because the demon can. It's technically not Sesshomaru harming her if someone else does it." Miroku said, rolling his eyes at Sesshomaru's devious tactics, "Unfortunately for Sesshomaru, it doesn't seem to work that way. He still stepped in when she was about to die and saved you all. He was trying to find a loophole to free him from the grasp that mark has on him, but failed. Thank the gods."

"Miroku, if what you say is true, then this is a good thing." Sango said when something came to her mind, "If he is forced to protect her and us, then him sticking around means she's safe."

"That is true." He nodded, his head lowered and his hand placed over his face in frustration.

"Then… what's wrong?"

"They're mated, Sango." Miroku said.

"What… does… that mean?" Sango hesitated asking, not really wanting, but needing the answer.

"It means that by the laws of demon kind…" Miroku looked up to Sango with a look of anguish plastered on his face, "Kagome is his wife."

"Oh, my god." Sango put a hand over her heart, feeling it pound in her chest, "We have to remove it."

"We can't."

"What, why?"

"Because Sesshomaru doesn't know of a way to do that." Miroku said and stood up, unable to sit down with the frustration of this situation building within him, "That's why I wanted to see Kikyo and got excited when Inuyasha first brought her up. I figured that someone as wise as she is would know the answer. Maybe she could tell us something or point us in the direction of someone who can."

"It makes sense, but… Miroku, how long have you known?"

"Since he saved her during Kagura's attack on that village."

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Sango asked angrily and stood as well.

"Tell you what, Sango?" Miroku retorted in frustration, "Tell you all about Kagome's darkest, horrifying, and most painful secret? Tell her that I know, that Sesshomaru admitted it to me? That I knew she and Inuyasha would likely never be together like she wants? That Shippo's technical Dad is the scariest demon he's ever met? Tell Kagome, who is more fragile than she's ever been, that she is married to the brother of the man she loves and there is no undoing it? Tell you that your best friend was keeping something this big from you because it is **that** terrifying for her? That this one time, we're completely helpless?"

"I knew she was raped…" Sango admitted and hit herself when she realized how stupid she was the night Kagome told her, "She was blunt about it, but she didn't say specifically who, so I… I just assumed that it was the demon Sesshomaru said he rescued her from… I didn't even think-... There wasn't a moment in my mind that I thought Sesshomaru did this himself. Miroku, what do we do?"

"I don't know. The only plan I have right now is Kikyo." He said, shrugging in defeat, "I have been trying so hard to come up with something to save Kagome from this fate. I've got nothing."

"She deserves to know, Miroku."

"I know…" he sighed and looked back to the hut, "I don't think I have the courage to do it."

"We can do it." Sango put a hand on his cheek and turned him to face her, "Together."

Miroku looked into Sango's eyes and felt his confidence return. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded before taking her hand and standing up. The two walked back to Kaede's hut together, becoming more nervous with every step they took. They stopped outside the hut and nodded to each other. They stepped inside and were both stopped by the scene before them.

Shippo was testing Sesshomaru's patience by messing with the large line of fur he always had over his shoulder, but Sesshomaru was just watching the young pup curiously. Kagome was watching with nervous wide eyes, waiting for Sesshomaru to snap at Shippo, but it wasn't coming. Inuyasha had apparently woken and scooted over to a corner behind Kaede, hiding from his older brother.

Sango's confidence weakened because of this, but feeling Miroku's grip tighten on her own, she looked to him. He looked at her, pleading with his eyes. For both of their sakes and the sake of Kagome, they could not back out now. Sango nodded and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she bent over and pretended to be in pain.

"Sango, are you okay?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah, my stomach is just bothering me." Sango replied and sat down, looking to Shippo, "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Sango." Shippo hopped off of Sesshomaru's shoulder and walked over.

"Remember those nuts you found south of the village?" Sango asked and Shippo nodded, "Those really helped my stomach last time. Do you mind getting some for me?"

"Of course! I'll be back soon." Shippo nodded and hurried out with Kilala. There was a brief moment of silence and Sango took a deep breath.

"Thank you." Sesshomaru said, surprising everyone. However, the anger that changed Sango's expression brought her to her feet. She stomped over to Sesshomaru and slapped the demon across the face. He barely turned his head, but he stood up in response to the hit, looking angrily down at her.

"Do. Not. Thank. Me. For. Shit." Sango practically spat each word his way, "I know the truth now."

Sesshomaru would have been more surprised by the behavior, but a glance toward the monk revealed everything he needed to know. He stared at Sango as Kagome lightly pulled her away from him.

"Um, alright now. Let's not do anything to crazy." Kagome pleaded with Sango.

"I'm not. I'm just SERIOUSLY FUCKING PISSED OFF." Sango said, her eyes not shifting from Sesshomaru.

"You… know… Don't you?" Kagome asked shakily, fear overtaking her words.

"Kagome, child…" Kaede held Kagome's hands, "I'm sure there is only one here who doesn't."

"You all know?" Kagome looked from Kaede, to Sango, to Miroku, who all nodded, and then to Inuyasha.

"Know what?" Inuyasha asked cluelessly, glaring back and forth between the others, "What don't I know?"

"I thought…" Kagome turned to Sesshomaru, "I thought you wanted to keep it a secret?"

"Your friends are very intuitive, Kagome." Sesshomaru told her.

"Don't you even speak her name, you disgusti-…" Sango started, but Miroku pulled her back.

"Sango! Do you remember what I told you?" Miroku asked and she nodded, "Then think and think calmly. You've already slapped him and he didn't even throw an insult back. Calm down."

Inuyasha struggled to his feet and held on to the wall to brace himself. He groaned in pain as he did and caught everyone's attention. They looked to him and he glared back at all of them. He took a few deep breaths, trying to overcome the pain of the gaping hole in his chest. Normally, it'd heal by now, but this one was going to take another day or so, likely an effect of the lightning he was shocked with.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha asked through grit teeth, not liking that he was in the dark.

"I raped her, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru blatantly admitted it.

The tension in the hut thickened even more. Miroku and Sango stared at Sesshomaru, waiting for him to say something more than that. Was he going to just leave it all at that? Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru, turning his head toward his brother a bit more. He took a step toward Sesshomaru and as if the pain in his body completely vanished, he stood up straight and balled his fists tightly.

"Say that again, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha challenged his older brother.

"You heard me the first time." Sesshomaru replied dully.

"Inuyasha, please wait." Miroku stepped forward to get Inuyasha's attention.

"Shut up, Miroku." Inuyasha shot a glare toward him and then realized something, "How long have you all known? Am I the last to know about this?"

"I've known long enough. I just told Sango." Miroku explained, trying to keep things calm.

"I've known since the beginning." Kaede admitted, sighing as she stood and put her hands behind her back, "It's not an easy subject to speak of. There was a lot I did not understand."

"So, everyone gets to know, but me?" Inuyasha asked, his accusing tone highlighting a betrayal he felt.

"I only found out a few minutes ago." Sango said, "Kagome did tell me that she was actually raped, but I had no idea and never would have thought that Sesshomaru was the one who did it."

"But you knew!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Inuyasha, please… I sh-…" Kagome began, but was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders.

"And you. Why wouldn't you tell me this?" Inuyasha asked, demanding an answer as he shook her once, his strength not allowing her to fight him at all, "HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME, KAGOME?"

Before Kagome could answer, Inuyasha's head was pushed up against the hut wall, Sesshomaru's hand pinning him there with his other arm having pulled Kagome away from Inuyasha. She was held tightly against him, a gesture that seemed involuntary.

"Don't dare touch her like that again." Sesshomaru threatened, his fangs growing and eyes flashing red, "Do you understand me, Inuyasha?"

"Me? HOW ABOUT YOU, SESSHOMARU? YOU'RE THE ONE THAT HURT HER!" Inuyasha crushed the hut wood under his hand as he tried fighting against Sesshomaru's pin.

"And yet he is the one protecting her now, Inuyasha!" Kaede spoke up and tapped Sesshomaru's wrist as a sign for him to let go, which he did, "Now hear me, boy. This is a very complicated situation, a scary and painful circumstance for every single one of us here, including your brother."

"I doubt my brother cares about what he's done."

"Are you sure about that?" Kaede said and motioned toward Sesshomaru. At first, Sesshomaru looked confused, but when he looked down to the woman he was shielding from his younger brother, he understood the implications Kaede was making. Sesshomaru gently let Kagome go and took a step back.

"Inuyasha, do you know anything about demon mating rituals?" Miroku asked and sat down, motioning for everyone else to follow suit. Sango did and so did Kagome, followed by Sesshomaru.

"No, I was raised by humans, damn it!" Inuyasha shouted, having reminded them about this before. He sat down carefully, crossing his arms angrily along his chest, unable to look at any of them.

"Monk." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes curiously at him.

"Well," Miroku glared at Sesshomaru, so the demon realized his intentions, "Let me explain one."

"Monk, this is unwise." Sesshomaru warned.

"We have to, Sesshomaru, so let us do this the best way we know how, okay?" Sango raised her voice toward Sesshomaru, who closed his eyes and just waited, "Now let him talk."

"And correct me if I'm wrong," Miroku said to Sesshomaru and then turned to Inuyasha and Kagome, "When a demon reaches a certain point in their life, if they have not…" Miroku stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath to relax some and then continued, trying to keep his nerves under control, "If they have not taken a mate, their inner demon, similar to how Inuyasha loses control when he's not holding his sword, takes over. It forces them to take a mate, so when this happened, Sesshomaru was not in control of himself. Kagome was a very unfortunate victim in all of this."

"You think that makes any of this better?" Inuyasha growled at them.

"It's not meant to make it better, ye' stubborn dog." Kaede spoke up, "It's for clarity. Now listen."

"But Kagome…" Miroku turned fully to her and took her hand, "There's more."

"M-Miroku, you're scaring me." Kagome said, her hand shaking beneath Miroku's. When Sango also came and sat down next to her, taking her other hand, Kagome's heart began pounding.

"Because a demon has no control of anything during this time, certain things happen and it is something that can't be undone." Miroku explained and Kagome looked back and forth between all of them, her eyes falling on Sesshomaru for a moment before tightening her hands around both Sango and Miroku's.

"Spit it out." Kagome practically begged.

"Sesshomaru accidentally marked you during that night." Miroku informed as gently as he could, but was only met with confusion. Kagome shifted around some, but shook her head.

"What does that even mean?" Kagome asked, truly confused.

"It's the way demons choose their mate." Sesshomaru spoke up, cringing slightly as Kagome's horrified eyes fell upon him, "Humans refer to it as marriage, however, it's stronger than that."

Kagome's entire body froze as she tried to absorb the information. There were few times that she was going to speak, but no words would form. Her eyes began darting toward random spots around the hut, trying think of something to say. She was married to Sesshomaru? How was this possible? When did he mark her? She thought back to the night he attacked her and could only think of one thing. She released Miroku's hand and looked to Sesshomaru as she touched her neck, looking questioningly at him.

"Yes." Sesshomaru replied adding a single curt nod. Kagome gasped as she felt her world coming down around her. Her heart was beating so fast that it hurt. She put her hand over her heart and began breathing heavily, having a hard time keeping it under control.

"Oh my god…" Kagome spoke through stressed words as sweat beaded down her face.

"Kagome?" Sango tried to keep her friend upright.

Soon, her vision blurred and with one last look at her 'husband', Kagome's eyes rolled to the back of her head, her body went completely weak, and she fell back into Sango's arms, passed out.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Creating Clarity

 _[Day 32 since the incident]_

When Kagome passed out, no one could find the will to continue the conversation. Even Inuyasha seemed calmer, but he refused to speak and began avoiding the group entirely. Sesshomaru moved Kagome to the sleeping bag that Sango laid out for her and was always close to her. When Shippo returned, he was told to let Kagome sleep and Sango ate the nuts and told him she felt better. For the most part, things were as serene as they could be considering everything that was now known.

It wasn't until the next afternoon that Kagome finally woke up. When she opened her eyes, she looked around the room to see it mostly empty. The only one there was Sesshomaru, who was sitting straight up with his eyes closed. She stared at him for a few moments, realizing that he was asleep. She let out a quiet breath and sat up as the information that she was told the night before rushed back. Kagome wanted to cry, but she held it back the best she could, causing her to cough. Of course, he woke up.

"I'm sorry. I was trying not to wake you." Kagome said, looking at her lap.

"You're a strange one. Why apologize to me after everything you now know?" Sesshomaru asked.

"In the forest, where it happened, after you told me what it was, I still did not fully understand what you went through. I thought I did, but I was wrong." Kagome explained, "After Miroku explained things to me, I think it clicked and I understood it better. You probably feel just as violated and ashamed as I do."

Kagome looked to him for some sort of confirmation, but he only stared back at her. She sighed.

"At least I thought you would…" she muttered, but he heard her.

"I am ashamed." He said quietly and she looked back at him.

"I'm surprised you'd admit it." She replied astonished, but was secretly happy.

"What happened disgusts me. If I could, I would take it back." He admitted and sighed, laying his head back against the wall, "My father… He left before he could explain a lot. He left me and my Mother, who never taught me anything about it either, when he fell in love with Inuyasha's Mother."

"I see." Kagome titled her head, listening attentively.

"I heard rumors about demons losing control without a mate, but I didn't find out why until a few weeks before." He explained further, sighing to hide the regret, "I thought it was something I could control, but nature is one of the few things stronger than I am. I separated myself from Rin and Jaken. I left my castle and tried to keep away from it all. I lost myself when a breeze carried your heightened scent straight to me."

"My heightened scent?" Kagome asked and he nodded.

"You were at your peak time to be taken and I couldn't resist it." Sesshomaru finished the explanation and sighed, "If I had known what I could do, I would have settled with one of my suitors."

"Why didn't you?" Kagome asked, honestly curious. She never thought it was possible to get Sesshomaru to talk like this, to open up to her. She had to see how much she could learn and wondered if it was the mark that pushed him to speak to her. If it was, she'd feel a little guilty about it, but should she? From what she understood, the two of them were married. She had a right to know.

"I did not find any of them worthy of me." He said, but Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"That…" she started and then shook her head. There was something off about his tone and the way he said it. It was almost like he didn't mean it. "That's a lie. Tell me the truth."

"You are calling me a liar?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh." Kagome hesitated, but ended up nodding, "Yeah, I am. What was your real reason?"

Sesshomaru fell silent and stared at her. Normally, his gaze caused humans to look away from him, but she didn't budge. His expression softened with curiosity and his cleared his throat.

"My Father settled." Sesshomaru said, giving in, "He settled for my Mother and therefore settled for me. In the end, he left my Mother and left me. I didn't want to settle."

Sesshomaru never broke eye contact and neither did Kagome. The two were having a moment. Within the answer he gave, Sesshomaru revealed a huge part of himself to Kagome that she didn't think existed. She contemplated her theory for a few moments and started to speak, but stopped.

"What?" Sesshomaru prodded to inquire deeper.

"It's just… It sounds like you wanted to find someone to love you." Kagome explained and let out a quick chuckle, "I never thought that you could love anyone. I guess the signs saying otherwise were really right in our face, you know, with Rin constantly being by your side. You obviously can love, but…"

"I love no one."

"That's also a lie." Kagome waved the comment off, "You love Rin. She's like your own little girl, so let's not even argue about that."

"You think I would love a human?" Sesshomaru questioned, showing his annoyance.

"Yes, I do actually." Kagome nodded matter-of-factly, "I think that even though the majority of humans probably do bother you, I think that individual people, demon or otherwise, can be separated from whatever species they were born as. It's not like they could control it. Do you think most of these humans would have chosen to just be human if being a strong demon, like you, were a choice? No, they would have chosen differently, but we can't choose what we're born as or who our parents are. That is why I think you do love Rin. She's a sweet girl who has shown loyalty to you. What's not to like?"

"Is that why you've adopted the fox as your son?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Well, yes." Kagome replied, slightly taken aback by the question, "Shippo has fought by my side, protected me, risked his life and gotten hurt to save mine. I've taught him a lot, and he always makes me smile. I heard him call me Momma in his sleep one day and that was permanent. I felt something shift in me that day. It was… enlightening and there was no going back. Shippo is my son."

"You have a strong mother's instinct." Sesshomaru said.

It seemed somewhat like a compliment, but Kagome wasn't sure.

"Thank you, I think." She replied.

"It was meant as a compliment, so you're welcome." Sesshomaru confirmed.

A moment later, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku all returned at once and Kagome realized where they had all gone. She looked to them all with a big smile, which stopped two of them in their tracks. Shippo, unaware of most of the situation, hopped down to the floor form Miroku's shoulder.

"Morning, Momma!" he said excitedly and gave her a big hug.

"Glad to see you're awake, Kagome." Miroku said, sitting down across from her.

"Yeah, how'd you sleep?" Sango asked, sitting next to Miroku.

"Not horribly, so that's nice." Kagome replied.

"We had Sesshomaru watch over you." Shippo expressed joyfully, "He wanted to stay in the hut, so I gave him the job to protect you. He's gotta pull his own weight if he's joining our group."

Shippo pointed a sucker Kagome gave him from her time at Sesshomaru, causing the silver haired demon to raise an eyebrow. Was he being challenged? The fox tyke wouldn't dare. Shippo just smiled widely and looked away from Sesshomaru back to his Mom.

"So far, he's doing a good job. He didn't leave your side for a minute!" Shippo exclaimed, unaware of the awkward implications standing behind his truths. The rest looked curiously at Sesshomaru.

"The mark?" Kagome asked.

"Yes." Sesshomaru replied.

"Huh…" Kagome watched Sesshomaru curiously, ideas swirling through her head. The look in her eyes was something to intimidate the normally stoic demon. The ideas going through Kagome's mind were mischievous little things and that made her eyes sparkle. He held his normal demeanor, but the eyes often spoke clearer than body language and Kagome could also see the worry in his.

"What are you thinking?" Sesshomaru asked suspiciously of her.

"I'm curious about what this mark lets me do." Kagome confessed without reservation, "I'd ask, but after the things you've told me, I don't think you actually know."

"Likely." Was all Sesshomaru said in reply to that.

"Kagome, what did he tell you?" Sango asked, extremely curious and excited about finding something out about Sesshomaru.

"Well, um… Please don't be mad, Sango, but I don't want to tell you." Kagome sheepishly replied.

"Huh? Why not?" Sango asked, her arms crossed in disbelief.

"It doesn't feel right. The same way Sesshomaru will not know any of the things you've told me in private, no one else will know what he said to me." Kagome explained, that excuse being the best she could come up with, though her voice gave away her own uncertainties about its validity. Kagome was feeling awkward about telling Sango anything Sesshomaru said, but whether the feelings were her own or the marks was a question to be answered. Was this sympathy toward the demon next to her? Or was this a supernatural effect of something she forcibly had placed on her? Or was it merely an amount of respect for Sesshomaru as the newest member of their group? She didn't know.

As she played with her thoughts, her face slowly soured. She looked worried, confused, and irritated all at once. The expression caught everyone's attention, but only one spoke up to check on her.

"Is something bothering you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Does this mark control me too?" Kagome asked and shook her head, "I know you most likely don't know, but I'd appreciate you telling me if you had any sort of… theory about it."

"I do not believe so, no." he answered quickly, "You're not a demon, and the mark connects me to you, not the other way around. If you marked me, that'd be a different story."

"Can I mark you?" Kagome asked and Miroku spit out some tea he was drinking. Sango swallowed wrong and began coughing. Shippo was pulled from his drawings and looked at Kagome very confused. Sesshomaru was dumbfounded for an instant and his mouth went agape for that brief time. And from outside, the group could hear a loud thud and Inuyasha's voice yelping in pain as he fell from the roof.

"I wasn't asking permission!" Kagome shouted, her face turning red when she realized what she said, "I want to know if humans could even mark a demon. Do half-demons do it too? Does Inuyasha have this same burden of forced-mating that you do? When I need help, do you just magically show up like you have been? Does it allow you to track me? Is it forcing you to be protective over me?"

"It does let me sense your position at all times and does force me to be protective over you." Sesshomaru nodded as he explained. "The rest of your questions cannot be answered by me. I don't know what all the mark can do."

"Then how do we find out?" Inuyasha asked as he stepped inside the hut, "Kagome doesn't deserve to be bound to someone like you. If we can find a way to free her from this shit, I'm for it."

"That is why I wanted to find Kikyo." Miroku brought up his old idea.

"Hey, that was my idea!" Inuyasha said.

"Let me rephrase then. This is why I agreed with hunting down Kikyo." Miroku rolled his eyes as he corrected himself, "She's the only person I know of that may have come across information like this before. She's well-versed in demons and is a highly skilled priestess. If she doesn't know the specifics, I have no doubt that she'll have a theory or even someone to point us toward for answers."

"How will we find her?" Kagome asked, "She sort of shows up randomly."

"My sister will return, but I do not know when that will happen." Kaede said and cleared her throat to pull everyone's focus, "I believe it best if you continue your journey as normal."

"What? How could you say that?" Inuyasha disagreed wholeheartedly.

"Inuyasha, let me finish." Kaede scolded the obnoxious half-demon, "If there is no known way to remove the mark, the only power in this world to make the impossible possible is the Sacred Jewel. Search for my sister in the same direction you do Naraku, and if you do find her, she may have answers, but if she does not, ye' are still closer to completing the jewel and can use it to rid Kagome of this mark."

The group fell quiet and thought about Kaede's idea for a short time.

"I agree." Kagome spoke up, receiving confused reactions from everyone, "I agree with what Kaede said, but I also think her plan is best because I am still powerless. I'd appreciate Sesshomaru's company on our travels. His strength will make things a lot easier on all of us and if this mark is pushing him to protect me, I can't think of anyone else good enough to pick up my slack…"

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Inuyasha crossed his arms, pouting angrily.

"Not at all, but you couldn't pick up my slack because you've always been our main frontline and have been a huge part of what carries our group since the beginning." Kagome's eyes lowered sadly, the guilt showing clearly on her face, "It's like our group has a piece missing and instead of continuing without it, and stretching you all to fill it, I think it is best to replace it with something stronger and more reliable."

"Kagome, you are reliable and strong enough." Sango comforted her friend, trying to cheer her up.

"When I'm at full strength, maybe, but let's face it…" Kagome raised her head and smiled, "Right now, I am powerless. I can still use the bow, but against demons or Naraku, I'd only be in the way." Kagome sighed sadly and the group watched her in silence. Her friends felt bad for her, even Inuyasha. "To be honest," Kagome spoke up again, looking to Sesshomaru, "I've always thought that if you and Inuyasha worked side by side, Naraku would have been defeated long ago. You two may not get along, but you share your Father's blood and from what few stories I've heard about him, his power was immense."

"It was." Sesshomaru confirmed.

"That strength was passed down to you two. Why not use it?"

"I have no intention to fight alongside any of you." Sesshomaru stated, his sharp gaze fixated on Kagome, "I am here because I do not have a choice. I will not tolerate my mark being used to deliberately manipulate me into aiding you and your friends in your endeavors."

"I wasn't trying to manipulate you…" Kagome glared at Sesshomaru, offended by the accusation.

"You spoke of the mark pushing me to protect you and using that to pick up your slack." Sesshomaru replied angrily. "In what other way should I take these implications?"

"That's…" Kagome sighed and shook her head, "That isn't what I meant, Sesshomaru. I meant that if the mark is pushing you to protect me, while I am without my power, I think you're the best choice to help keep me alive. While the rest are fighting, you can sense when I am danger."

"Hm?" Sesshomaru's eyebrow raised again.

"Isn't that what happened when you saved me from that insane lightning demon?" Kagome asked, "You showed up… when… Well, when I called your name."

" _So, that's what that was…"_ Sesshomaru stared at Kagome, silent and deep in thought, _"I felt something strange. I thought her pup's crying was what pushed me over the edge, but no… She called for me."_

"You called for him?" Inuyasha asked, offended that Kagome would do that after what Sesshomaru did to her.

"I did…" Kagome said, but refused to look to Inuyasha out of guilt.

The awkward silence in the room was creating a heavy tension between the group. Sango and Miroku were doing their best to deal with Sesshomaru's presence, especially since his attitude mellowed once he decided to stick around. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was worst off. Watching Kagome and his older brother speak so calmly to each other pissed him off, but also provoked new feelings he didn't enjoy.

"I don't know what happened." Sesshomaru finally spoke up to answer as he leaned back and relaxed into the hut wall, "For now, we can count ourselves lucky that I got there on time."

Sesshomaru felt the hairs on his skin stand up and looked over to see what he was sensing. Both Sango and Miroku were giving him death glares and for some unknown reason, it bothered him. He stared back at them with his usual uncaring expression. However, the continued glares were irritating him more. He sat up and turned to face them, as if some sort of staring contest where occurring.

"What?" Sesshomaru spoke sharply, his tone low and threatening.

"If you're going to stick around, it'd be nice if you didn't lie anymore." Miroku said accusingly.

"Excuse me?" Sesshomaru's eyebrow raised, the gesture apparently being his go to when annoyed at someone.

"You're LYING." Miroku fully accused him, "We are all at least somewhat understanding of the situation you and Kagome are in. We've accepted you into our group. Before we move on, I want everything out on the table. You tried to have her killed Sesshomaru. You knew that you couldn't do it on your own, so you sent demons and humans alike to kill her, wanting her out of your way. That's what happened at the sea when she almost drowned and when she was shot by the man in Genzo's village. The demon that almost killed Sango, Inuyasha, and Kagome was also your doing. You sent him here."

"What? You wanted me dead?" Kagome asked, but she wasn't upset. She was more confused.

"Of course, I did." Sesshomaru admitted without guilt, "Obviously, I was unable to stand around and allow it to happen. Once you were in actual danger, I was forced to act."

"But why?" Kagome asked and Sesshomaru just stared at her.

"It's my fault." Miroku chimed in and shook his head, hitting his forehead with his palm, "I didn't think you'd turn my own words against me, damn it."

"You thought I'd actually t-…" Sesshomaru started.

"No! I'm not stupid. Of course, you wouldn't take your own life." Miroku looked to Kagome, "When he admitted that he marked you, I got angry. I had watched my friend break down and lose her powers and was still shaken from… from your scream. I told him to kill himself. I figured the only way to truly remove that mark without some crazy ritual was his death. I even thought of sucking him into the Wind Tunnel, but who knows if any of those demons in there are dead or just… somewhere else. Instead, he reversed my idea and decided to remove you instead of himself, but… that didn't work."

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Kagome questioned with the attitude of an officer interrogating a possible murder suspect. Her eyes were narrowed, a shadow looming over her gaze at them. She was tired of everyone knowing more about her situation than she did.

"I know something!" Shippo spoke up and stood, taking a deep breath, "I may be young, but I'm not stupid. I don't know a lot of things, but I know a lot of other things. I know what a mark is. My father talked about marking my first mom a long time ago. You marked Momma, didn't you, Sesshomaru?"

"Yes." Sesshomaru answered.

"HEY!" Sango and Kagome yelled.

The two hurried over to him, getting into his face. Sesshomaru blinked once, his only reaction to the sudden shift and anger the two women had. What was this about? They looked furious.

"Don't tell him that! He doesn't need to know this kind of stuff." Kagome shouted first.

"Shippo's still young! Or are you too blind to tell?" Sango shouted second.

"Do you tell Rin things like that?" Kagome took her next turn.

Sesshomaru just looked between the two women as they shouted at him. He did not understand the reason behind this lecture. Shippo was young, but he wasn't _that_ young. He was obviously old enough to begin looking at taking a mate if he wanted, at least in the demon world.

"Step back." Sesshomaru said looking into Kagome's eyes and both women calmed down, "I am not Inuyasha. Shouting at me is not how you get me to appreciate your views. If you wish me to keep certain things from him, then explain what those are. Do not treat me like a child."

Sango's behavior changed faster than Kagome's. She noticed the eye contact that Sesshomaru kept with Kagome, the calmness in his tone, and the fact that he was holding back his normal self. Sesshomaru would never tolerate two human women getting so close to him, let alone yelling straight at his face and scolding him like a child. Was that part of the mark as well? Or was that Sesshomaru acclimating to his current circumstance with Kagome and his new found group of comrades?

"You're right." Kagome sighed and sat back down, "I am so used to yelling at Inuyasha for the things he does and says, or Miroku for his lecherous habits, that I guess I've become accustom to yelling."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha shouted.

"Well, Inuyasha, from the first day ye' and Kagome met, all ye' have done is yell at each other to solve arguments." Kaede spoke up from her silence, having enjoyed watching the new interactions between the group, "Ye' yell and she yells. Sesshomaru is not a brash man and prefers more mature forms of conflict, which I must admit," Kaede nodded to Sesshomaru with a smile, "Is quite refreshing."

"I, uh…" Inuyasha calmed down, but glared at his brother for a moment. Something was happening here that he did not like. It felt like he was being replaced and that his brother was quickly becoming more liked than he was. It had only been a day and Kaede said he was "refreshing." What did that even mean? Kagome pretty much implied that Inuyasha was the reason she got so used to yelling all the time, so that struck a nerve with the half-demon. Sure, she blamed it on Miroku as well, but Miroku stopped the lecherous stuff toward Kagome a long, long time ago. They never fought, unless it was about Sango.

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked worriedly. She saw the look on Inuyasha's face. He was thinking about something and whatever that something was bothered him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. When are we leaving?" Inuyasha asked, changing the subject quickly.

"Don't you still need to rest?" Kagome asked, referring to the wounds he received in the days before.

"It's healed. I'm still a little tired, but my injuries are gone." Inuyasha answered, showing his perfectly healed chest. There wasn't even a scar, even though it had only happened two days before.

"Then why don't we head out tomorrow?" Kagome suggested to the group, "It's a little late to leave now and I might run back to my time just to pick up a few supplies."

"Good idea! We're out of the food and the medicines were used, right?" Shippo added.

"M'hm, yeah. If I go quickly, I can be back a little after dark." Kagome grabbed her backpack and stood up, putting it over her shoulders, "I'll hurry, okay?"

"Sure, just be careful." Inuyasha nodded.

Sesshomaru was rapidly becoming anxious about this trip Kagome was talking about. She was returning to her time, because _she can do that,_ but what did that mean? Kagome said bye to everyone, but when she turned to Sesshomaru, she looked confused at him. Her confusion brought everyone's attention his way. He was looking at her suspiciously and like he wanted to voice something.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome said to catch his attention.

"I'll go with you." Sesshomaru said, standing up.

"You can't." Kagome shook her head.

"What?" Sesshomaru obviously did not like that answer.

"It's not that I won't let you. It's the well I come through. The only person it allows through is Inuyasha." Kagome explained politely, "Sango, Miroku, and Shippo have tried before, but can't."

"If Inuyasha can go, I can." Sesshomaru insisted.

"I, well, uh… You can try because I am really not going to argue with you about it," Kagome sighed and gave in, "But when it doesn't work, you'll sit and wait like everyone else."

"Acceptable." Sesshomaru agreed and both he and Kagome walked out of the hut.

There was silence between those left in the hut. Everyone felt a little uncomfortable letting Sesshomaru walk off with Kagome, but what was on most of their minds was why Inuyasha never spoke up. He wasn't acting like himself, but who could blame him? This situation left them all a little out of character.

"Inuyasha, do you think it is okay to let them go?" Sango asked.

"I doubt Sesshomaru will get through the well." Miroku added.

"He will." Inuyasha said, his head lowered so his bangs could hide his eyes, "He's connected to her now, even more than I am." Inuyasha reached up and grabbed the beads that hung from his neck. "Th-This is how I got through the well. It's connected to Kagome spiritually and around my neck. She's the only one who can remove it, so I know it's how I get through. He'll get through. The mark will let him."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: A Different Kind of Trip

At the Bone Eater's Well, Kagome looked down to the dirt at the bottom and back to Sesshomaru. She was ready to go, but there was something off about him. She turned to face him; her hands wrapped around the straps of her backpack. When she turned to him, he raised his eyes just a tiny bit. She was right, he was deep in thought about something. It was interesting to finally notice things about this man.

"What's on your mind?" Kagome asked him.

"You jump into this filthy old well to travel to a different time?" Sesshomaru asked as he stepped up to the well and looked down to the bottom.

"Yes, that's it." Kagome confirmed, watching him closely. He stared down into the darkness, as if he were suspicious of the well itself. The cautious look in his eyes was mildly entertaining. "Are you coming or staying?"

"I'm coming." Sesshomaru said and watched her climb over the rim.

Kagome was about to just hop in and let him follow, but hesitated. She looked at him and pat the rim next to her. Sesshomaru's brow furrowed in confusion, but sat on the rim as well. Kagome scooted closer to him, causing him to withdraw, looking at her as if she had gone crazy.

"It's odd the first time. I figured going with me may be easier." Kagome smiled and held out a hand.

" _She's doing this for my well-being?"_ Sesshomaru thought as he looked to the offered hand. It took him a while to make the decision, but as he went to take her hand, he pulled back. "Just go."

"Okay." Kagome said with a short giggle.

As Kagome went into the well, Sesshomaru watched for a few seconds before he hopped in too. He felt the air shift around him as it darkened further and lights surrounded him. It looked like he was surrounded by the night sky and saw a bright light he was falling to. The old world faded and a new one appeared. He landed quietly and looked up, seeing a roof over the well and Kagome climbing up an unstable rope ladder. As she struggled up it and her foot slipped off one of the rope steps, he reached up out and grabbed her ankle to prevent her from falling. However, she reacted poorly.

"AH!" Kagome squeaked as her ankle was grabbed and she lost all sense of balance. Kagome fell back and Sesshomaru let go of her ankle to hold his arms out and catch her. She tensed, looked up to him, blinked a couple times and then squirmed until he placed her on her feet.

"It worked?" Kagome asked in disbelief, "You actually made it through?"

"I told you I would." Sesshomaru told her.

"I know, but… I just… I didn't think that…" Kagome groaned and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Is my presence that bothersome?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"No, no. Nothing like that." Kagome disputed that accusation quickly, "It was just unexpected."

Kagome turned and went to climb up the ladder again, but Sesshomaru coiled an arm around her waist and hopped up and over the rim, landing between the well and the small set of wooden stairs. Kagome gave her thanks and was going to lead Sesshomaru out of the building, but he wasn't following her. She looked back just in time to see him jump back in the well. Kagome stood in silence and extreme confusion. A moment later, he returned and hopped back up to where she was standing. Kagome blinked as she watched this.

"What… are you doing?" Kagome asked.

"I wanted to experience it again. There is a strange magical shift in that well when you're coming through." Sesshomaru explained.

"Yeah, that is probably a shift in time." Kagome said.

"Fair, but the feeling was odd." Sesshomaru explained further.

Kagome couldn't say anything. She just nodded, trying not to giggle at that adorable display of curiosity, and turned to the door. As they stepped out of what was a mostly familiar structure, Sesshomaru was stunned by the world he saw around them. The stoic demon's composure was broken and his eyes widened, jaw dropped just a bit. The buildings were so tall, close, and there was barely any green. Without a word, he began walking toward the Sacred Tree, recognizing the one familiar sight here.

Kagome was about to talk to him, but when she noticed he walked off, she followed him to the tree. Once he seemed to be satisfied with looking at it, he began wandering around. He examined Kagome's house, a shed, the flooring, the walls around the property. He saw strange posts that the modern citizens would call a street light and he came to a large stone staircase that led down to a black road.

"Your world smells of soot and decayed flesh." Sesshomaru spoke his first words in this new time, and of course, it was an insult, "Your buildings are impressive and your roads sturdier than our stone."

"It's called asphalt." Kagome said and Sesshomaru's expression dulled enough to make her laugh.

"Who named it so idiotically?" Sesshomaru asked and Kagome shrugged as she tried to stop laughing, "Foolish."

"A few interesting facts…" Kagome stepped up by his side, "We're five hundred years in the future and mankind has done so many interesting things that the people of your time would never dream of."

"Like what?" Sesshomaru asked, his interest noticeable and sincere.

"Well, we've traveled to the moon." Kagome said and watched him closely. That was one of the first facts about the future that she told Inuyasha, but he didn't really care about that. Inuyasha just refused to believe it and ate his ramen.

"How?" Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed suspiciously, wanting the facts. Kagome blinked, pleasantly surprised by this and then smiled at him. The next thirty minutes of their lives consisted of Kagome explaining different things to him, which led to more questions and more answers. They talked about modern day medicine, television, rockets, cars, gas, electricity, lights, computers, and the internet. The fact that interested him the most above everything else was the idea of over seven billion people living on the planet.

"There's a lot more than this land, isn't there?" Sesshomaru asked, staring out over the hundreds of roofs that he could see from the top of that stone staircase. It was as if that had been a thought he never could confirm since the ocean cut his world off from everywhere else.

"Yeah, there's a lot." Kagome nodded. She couldn't help but stare. He was so deep in thought about everything she told him. Watching him only brought more questions to her mind. What did Sesshomaru think about the world at large? What were his goals in life? She only knew him to travel around and hunt Naraku separately from them. What was his purpose before that?

Sesshomaru realized the silence was longer than he expected and looked to the woman at his side. She was staring at him again, a strange look in her eyes. What was she thinking? That soft gaze was not something he was used to and that smile only made him apprehensive of what action she may take next. He did not like being confused by someone, especially not by someone like her.

"Kagome?" a kind feminine voice called out from a few feet away.

"Mom!" Kagome smiled and ran into her Mother's arms, "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, dear." Her mother returned the hug and looked to Sesshomaru, "Who's this?"

"This is Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother." Kagome introduced him with a smile.

"The frightening one that you've spoken of before?" Her mother asked and glared at Sesshomaru, not trusting the demon who said nothing and stood expressionless as the two talked.

"Uh, yeah…" Kagome chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head, "He's with us now."

"I'm with you, not them." Sesshomaru corrected her and stepped up to Kagome's mother, "I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands of my time. We are here to pick up supplies and continue our journey quickly. I do apologize for any inconvenience this trip here will have."

"You're a lot more polite than your brother." Kagome's mother said.

"A compliment, thank you." Sesshomaru nodded.

"You're very welcome. Just stop trying to kill my daughter and her friends, okay?" Kagome's mother said kindly, but there was a menacing aura that surrounded her: the protective instincts of a mother.

"At this time, you have no worries. I no longer have intentions to harm your daughter." Sesshomaru said, working his words around a lie. "And if we're being honest, I never did. I only attacked Inuyasha, Kagome had a habit of defending him." Sesshomaru would have killed Kagome if he could, but the mark that bonded them was powerful. This was also only a thought after their incident. Before that, Kagome was only in danger around Sesshomaru when she got in his way and wouldn't mind her business. And now, if she were in danger, he'd come.

"I see…" Kagome's mother said and then turned to Kagome. "Let's get those supplies of yours gathered, okay?"

The three made their way to the house and went inside. Sesshomaru was asked to wait patiently in the living room while they worked. Kagome's Grandfather came in a few minutes later and kept Kagome's guest some company. Unfortunately, Grandpa recognized Sesshomaru's name and only wanted to exorcize the him. Kagome demanded that Grandpa leave Sesshomaru alone and he did.

There wasn't much talking between anyone. There was only Grandpa and Sesshomaru sitting across from each other, keeping direct eye contact. Kagome and her mother often came in and out of the room, talking and gathering things up, but neither of the men dared move or they'd lose this unspoken challenge. The staring contest went on so long that Sesshomaru did not notice the cat in his lap.

Buyo tried getting Sesshomaru's attention, but the demon was like a statue. He was determined to defeat this old man in eye-combat if it was the last thing he did. Buyo meowed at Sesshomaru, but still received no response. Buyo even crawled up his chest and pawed at Sesshomaru's long ears. Still, Sesshomaru did not move a muscle or blink. This old fool should have never challenged him.

Unfortunately for Sesshomaru, Grandpa had a few tricks up his sleeve. Suddenly, Grandpa yelled, "BE GONE DEMON!" and pulled out a bag of purification salt, throwing a fist full at Sesshomaru and Buyo, sending the cat into turmoil. Sesshomaru felt the cats claw scratch his face and jumped to his feet, shouting angrily as he reached for the bag of salt. He snatched the bag from Grandpa and dug his hands into it, pulling out a fist full of salt and throwing it at Grandpa, showing no mercy.

"DIE HUMAN." He demanded of the old man, who used a magazine to block the incoming salt.

"What is going on in here?" Kagome ran into the room, her heart racing after hearing Sesshomaru yell those words. When she saw Sesshomaru throwing salt at her Grandfather, she slouched and her left eye twitched.

"Your grandfather used this to command the cat to attack me." Sesshomaru held the bag out and pointed to his cheek, three long cat scratches already healing up, "I thought it would work for me as well, but it did not. The cat fled. I demand something be done about this insolence."

"Let's just go. We got everything ready." Kagome sighed in relief and annoyance.

"Good." Sesshomaru nodded.

"Leaving so soon, Kagome?" Grandpa asked, not wanting her to go.

"Yeah, I've got to. I'll be back another time though, okay?" Kagome gave her Grandpa a hug, "Give Sota a hug for me too."

"I will. You be safe." Grandpa said.

Kagome gave her Mother a hug too and motioned for Sesshomaru to follow. He did, but not without shooting a glare back toward Grandpa, who smirked as if he had won this battle.

" _Not the war, old man."_ Sesshomaru thought. Kagome's grandfather was tolerable.

Before they walked out of the house, Sesshomaru was handed a large bag of supplies, while Kagome carried her normal yellow bag. Night had fallen and the two came to the Bone Eater's Well. Sesshomaru walked in first and Kagome closed the door behind them. She was going to just jump on in, but like before, something stopped her. She stared down into the darkness, not able to see the bottom. She was lost in thought and tightened her hands around her backpack straps. Sesshomaru noticed.

"Is something wrong?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I'm scared." Kagome admitted without reservation.

"Of what?"

"If we can't find a way to remove the mark, you're going to kill me, aren't you?" she asked, trembling.

"No. I can't. I have no ability to kill you or let you be killed." Sesshomaru said bluntly, wanting to clear that assumption up, "That mark protects you from any physical harm I may do. It doesn't seem to control my thoughts, but it does push me to act when needed. Is this really that hard to understand?"

"It's not." Kagome shook her head, "I'm trying my best to be calm, to not go crazy, but it's hard. It doesn't matter what the mark does. It doesn't matter that you say you can't hurt me."

Kagome's entire body shook. Sesshomaru saw tears fall to the rim of the well. She was crying again. Why did she cry so much? He'd understand if he was hostile, but he wasn't. In fact, Sesshomaru had been trying to keep everything as civil as possible in order to prevent conflict between them.

"You terrify me." Kagome whispered.

Sesshomaru's keen senses allowed him to pick up the words anyway and Kagome knew that. If Inuyasha could hear her mumble like that, Sesshomaru could probably hear her damn thoughts.

" _I terrify her, yet she did not stop me from coming here with her?"_ Sesshomaru thought.

He did not move and just watched her cry, her hand clenching the rim of the well. It was as if the well was the only thing keeping her grounded. She couldn't let it go, and it oddly bothered him.

"I know." Sesshomaru let out an exasperated sigh, "You'd be unwise to not be frightened of me. I've tried to kill Inuyasha for years… I am not aware of what happened to you that night, Kagome. I know what occurred, but I have no memory of my own actions. I don't remember what I did and that maddens me. The stories I have heard of when women are violated are sickening and I could have behaved like any of them. I admit that I worry I went further than I would ever think myself capable. I don't want the answers, but questions on how violent and cruel I was often cross my mind. Did I strike you? Did I strangle or throw you around? How often were you pinned? How many times did you scream, beg or cry? How hard did you fight back?"

"S-Stop." Kagome fell to her knees, resting her forehead on the rim of the well, her hand still gripping it for dear life as tears fell to the dirt, "P-Please no more. J-Just s-stop."

"I ask myself these questions because I know that I may have to keep near you for many years to come and I need to make up for it somehow." Sesshomaru explained.

Kagome's crying slowed and she looked up to him completely bewildered by that desire he claimed to have. She stared at him, eyes wide and her grip on the well weakening somewhat.

"If I do not know what I did, I can't make up for it." He continued, looking her in the eyes, "Today, I've traveled with you for the first time. Even if it was a short trip, I was able to see your part of your world, meet your family, and explore some of your home. I realize where you get your spunk and kind heart. I only regret not being able to meet your younger brother since I'm sure he'd enlighten me to more about you and how you view life." Sesshomaru stepped over and kneeled next to her, "If you and I are to never be separated, I will act as an honorable mate. You will be taken care of and protected."

"You really mean that, don't you?" Kagome asked and he nodded once.

Kagome calmed down some and stood up, adjusting her backpack. The two watched each other for a moment and Kagome perked up, forcing on a bigger smile than she meant to.

"I know this is hard for you too. I'll do my best, okay?" Kagome said.

Kagome couldn't come up with anything else to say. Sesshomaru was very different now, or trying to be. They both went through a trauma that will possibly impact them for life. However, each of them stood on opposite sides of that event. Sesshomaru remembered nothing and only knows he is guilty of the act. Kagome remembered everything and understands Sesshomaru would have never normally done such a thing. It was a difficult situation for both and they only had one thing they could do now: move forward. Kagome took a deep breath and reached out, grabbing Sesshomaru's hand. He tensed at the contact, but fought the urge to pull his hand away. He could still feel her shaking and it would take time for that fear to settle, so this may have been the first step to allowing her fear of him to lessen.

Sesshomaru watched Kagome as she hopped over well's rim and sat on it. He followed suit and the two jumped through the well's portal hand-in-hand. Soon, they found themselves on the other side and familiar, more pleasurable scents caused Sesshomaru a great deal of relief.

"Your world smells horrid." Sesshomaru wiped his nose as if wiping away the old stench.

"See, Kagome, it wasn't just me. Your world smells like smoke and death. Maybe now that Sesshomaru has said it, you'll listen." Inuyasha's voice caught their attention. The two looked up to see him standing over the well, his chin resting in his hand as he stared down at the two. "Well, aren't you chummy."

The two mutually released each other's hand and Inuyasha shrugged, a gesture that caused Sesshomaru and Kagome to look to each other, a little puzzled by his reaction. Inuyasha reached down and offered Kagome a hand, who kindly took it and was lifted out of the well. Sesshomaru stood patiently and watched when Inuyasha looked down and offered his brother a hand too, presumably mocking him.

Sesshomaru took it. Like lightning, Sesshomaru grabbed Inuyasha's hand, causing the half-demon to shriek in fear and pull away. In doing so, Inuyasha did hoist his brother up from the bottom of the well, yelling in terror the entire time, waiting for the acid claws to burn him. Instead, Sesshomaru made it to the top without any incident and release his brother suddenly, causing the momentum to send Inuyasha stumbling backwards and falling onto his backside next to the other onlookers.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha shouted, astonished by Sesshomaru's actions.

The group behind the two dog demon brothers began laughing hysterically. Shippo was holding his stomach because he was laughing so hard. Sango and Miroku wiped tears of joy from their eyes.

"You bastards!" Inuyasha yelled at them.

"I can't believe it worked." Miroku said, still laughing.

"We dared him to offer a hand to Sesshomaru too." Sango added, also still laughing.

"Yeah! We didn't think he'd have the guts to do it, but he had to prove us wrong." Shippo added, barely able to breathe, "Who knew Sesshomaru would make it even funnier?"

"Kagome, he grabbed my hand." Inuyasha stepped up to Kagome, pointing angrily at his own hand and then pointing back at Sesshomaru, "Kick his ass!"

"What, me?" Kagome replied, perplexed at the notion.

"Yes, you're the only one who ca-…" Inuyasha stopped mid-sentence and looked to his brother, "You can't hurt me, can you? The mark won't let you. I could finally kill you and Kagome'd be free."

The lively atmosphere of the group faded as quickly as lightning struck. Miroku and Sango looked to each other, both torn on what to do if Inuyasha did decide that was the way to go. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, the intent and confidence to kill Sesshomaru showing abundantly on his face. There was nothing the dog demon could do if Inuyasha attacked him. While Sesshomaru did not waver, as if he expected this to come up sooner or later, he was not entirely sure that he'd survive a battle with Inuyasha if he was unable to defend himself against his brother's attacks. He could avoid him for hours, but as they both wore themselves down, Inuyasha's will to kill him just might outlast him.

"Alright, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha grabbed Tetsusaiga and unsheathed it, "You ready to die?"

Kagome's mind was in turmoil watching this unfold. Sesshomaru had violated her and at the same time destroyed his honor and defiled himself. He was wrestling with a traumatic problem just like Kagome was, so was it right to take advantage of his state and kill him now? Inuyasha thought so, of course, but it wasn't a decision Kagome could take lightly. If this was to happen, they could do it down the line after figuring out and eliminating other options. Killing him while he was defenseless was wrong. The promise Sesshomaru made in her time helped her see him in a better light. This couldn't happen.

"I will not go easily, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru warned.

"Doesn't matter. Easy or hard, it's your choice." Inuyasha pointed his large demon blade at him, "If you decide to fight, then that's on you. Otherwise, sit back and let it happen. Either way is fine with me."

Inuyasha brought both hands to Tetsusaiga's hilt, grasping the sword tightly in his hands. This was it. He was finally going to be able to rid himself of his older brother and also free Kagome. With a cocky smile, Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga over his head and charged Sesshomaru with the serious desire to kill him. The full-demon glared back at his half-brother, bracing himself for the upcoming fight.

"S-Sit." Kagome said the command with an amount of guilt and reservation that shook her.

Inuyasha's body was forced to the ground by the spiritual beads around his neck. Tetsusaiga reverted to its smaller form and the group looked over to Kagome, who was staring at the grass at her feet with her fist clenched so tightly they were shaking. Inuyasha brought his head up to yell at Kagome, but couldn't find the courage to once he saw the gloom in her eyes and the conflict she was wrestling with.

"Kagome, it'd free you from him." Inuyasha brought himself to one knee, using the Tetsusaiga as a brace to hold himself up, "He's tried to kill us so many times, so why won't you let me?"

"Inuyasha, I can't…" Kagome looked desperately into his eyes, slowly shaking her head, "I just can't."

"But Kagome…" Inuyasha question her, confused and saddened. What did this mean?

"It's not right." Kagome said and then stomped her foot, raising her voice out of frustration, "And you know it! The Inuyasha I know would never want to kill someone knowing they couldn't fight back. Even with all of what you've gone through, everything you've dealt with in your life, killing Sesshomaru in this way would ruin you. You'd never be able to live with yourself if you did it. And I would never be able to live with myself if I stood by and watched as you did it." Kagome groaned loudly, almost a scream, and grabbed the hair at her scalp, "I am sorry that this happened. I'm sorry that I didn't just tell everyone. I'm sorry that I can't defend myself anymore. I am sorry that this is dragging all of us, including you Sesshomaru, down. No matter how low we get, I will **not** allow us to lose ourselves. None of you allowed me to fall into that darkness when it first happened, so you won't be doing it now. GOT IT!? Inuyasha, you will not try to kill you brother with the idea that it's easy because he's defenseless. Sesshomaru, I will try my hardest to not take advantage of this connection that, obviously, neither of us want. I am going to get my powers back and we're going to find a way to remove it, kill Naraku, complete the jewel, and then try to go back to a simpler life where we can **have some semblance of peace."**

Kagome stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and sighed in out. She had become a little irate when venting through this aggressive speech. She cleared her throat and looked around at everyone.

"Now, we're starting tomorrow." Kagome stood without an ounce of fragility, "So, get some rest."

As if they were given some needed advice from a respected leader, the group all nodded. Sango and Miroku smiled to each other and picked Shippo up, leaving with Kilala walking by their side. Even Inuyasha felt refreshed from the last days events when hearing Kagome talk like that. He stood up and sheathed Tetsusaiga. He looked at his brother and gave a composed nod. Sesshomaru hesitated, but returned the nod in kind. Inuyasha looked to Kagome and walked up to her, showing a soft smile.

"Thank you, Kagome." Inuyasha nodded, "You're right. If I had… Well, you know. It'd be bad."

Kagome's tears welled up again as she nodded, and threw her arms around Inuyasha, laying her head on his chest. Inuyasha put his arms around her for the first time since everything happened. Feeling that warmth comforted Kagome immensely and Inuyasha could feel her practically collapse into him, as if her strength had been sucked away. He tightened the embrace as he heard her whimper. A few moments later, Kagome's breathing evened out to a calm rhythm and he knew she had fallen asleep.

"Silly girl." He whispered.

He brushed her hair from her face before gently swooping her into his arms. He turned to head back to the village when he saw Sesshomaru just standing there watching them.

"Awkward." Inuyasha said quietly, a little disturbed by the thought.

When Sesshomaru didn't reply, Inuyasha chose to ignore him and walk back to the village. He walked past his brother, doing his best **not** to make eye contact because Sesshomaru refused to break it. Sesshomaru did not enjoy witnessing that moment between those two. He knew the influence of the mark was powerful and that is where these odd feelings arose from, but to not only be protective of her, but possessive? He stood quietly, fighting the urges to keep what was his. He kept having to remind himself about what all of this really was. He did not choose Kagome. She was not his. He did not even want her. The mark. It was all the mark and that damned thing needed to go.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: On the Road Again

There was a feeling of normalcy around the group for the first time in over a month. Even with Sesshomaru sitting across from Inuyasha, the group was feeling revitalized. Everyone's moods were better and the night's sleep was peaceful. It was the morning that they planned on continuing their journey to find Naraku, and hopefully run across Kikyo in the process, so after they ate their breakfast, they packed up their gear and said goodbye to Kaede before they left the village to head west. Even Sesshomaru gave the old woman a farewell.

Their travels brought them to a single village sitting on the edge of a swamp sometime in the afternoon. The village was larger than expected when they noticed how few people were there. With the number of huts that they could see, they expected double the number of villagers, so something was up. Their suspicions were confirmed when a few distracted children noticed their approach and fled.

"Something isn't right here…" Kagome spoke up quietly, so only the group could hear her.

"Look." Sango pointed ahead, toward a few villagers showing themselves.

As they got closer, the villagers became defensive and afraid of them, only something Sesshomaru could easily ignore. Suddenly, a rock struck Inuyasha on the head and a few more were inbound.

"What the hell was that for?" Inuyasha shouted at the villagers.

"Give us back our women and children, demon!" one of them shouted and the rocks went flying.

As one went to strike Kagome, it was swiped out of the air by Sesshomaru. He let it fall from his hand and turned toward the villagers, who retreated from him. The moment he took a step toward them, the unphased expression left them quivering, but that did not stop the demon from approaching.

"Wait, Sesshomaru!" Kagome called out and stopped him.

Sesshomaru looked back over his shoulder, glaring at her. He normally wouldn't have stopped. The mark forced him to. Kagome realized that and looked at him regretfully and shook her head.

"Villagers, please." Kagome begged them, "If there is a demon taking your people away, we aren't it."

"Liars!" one of the villagers shouted and went to throw another rock at Kagome.

"Enough." Sesshomaru raised his voice with authority, keeping as calm as he could.

The villagers hesitated. Sesshomaru was staring them down, daring them to raise their arms and throw another rock. No one tried. Instead, an elderly man made his way through, using an old stick as a walking cane. He was a scrawny old thing with a beard that had grown down to his chest. The old man approached cautiously, keeping his distance from Sesshomaru.

"I'm sorry, travelers, but when people pass by this way, we must be vigilant." The old man politely explained, "It is not often that we get visitors, so with what has been happening here as of late, we're all on edge. The last few months, a demon has stolen our women and children in the night. We've not been able to catch sight of it, but people keep disappearing. We cannot be too careful."

"I see." Miroku stepped forward, taking his role as negotiator for the group; though, the overly-interested tone he expressed once women in distress became a possibility as too obvious, "So, the **women** and children of your village are just vanishing? Please, tell me everything about the women who have been taken. It is possible that my friends and I could help subdue this vile demon."

The villagers became excited. Eyes brightened and people began cheering, dropping the rocks and defensive demeanors they held. While this behavior over women was normal for the group, Sesshomaru was not aware of Miroku's womanizing ways, so the tone that the monk spoke with raised questions. Sesshomaru looked to Sango, who was obviously annoyed, to Miroku once more.

"Kagome." Sesshomaru called for her while staring at the monk.

"Um, yes, Sesshomaru?" Kagome responded.

"Is this monk not mated with the slayer?" Sesshomaru asked bluntly and turned to Kagome to get the answer, "Why does he emphasize the women over children in the strange manner he is? Are they both not important to humans like it has been said? I was informed that humans preferred single mates, not multiple, or is this a trait that humans share with some demons?"

Sango's face practically burned with red from blushing so intensely. Miroku froze in place. Shippo crossed his arms and shook his head, mentally shaming Miroku for this display. Inuyasha, however, was laughing so hard that a human may have peed their pants. He couldn't even stand and ended up on his back, holding his stomach and rolling around on the ground, practically unable to breathe.

"Why was my question amusing?" Sesshomaru glared at Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru was being laughed at again and he highly disliked that. His question was honest and he wanted answers, so for his younger brother to make a fool of him like this, punishment would have to be enacted. Since Kagome was just watching Sesshomaru and seemingly unable to answer the question, he turned his attention toward his younger brother and walked over to him. Inuyasha saw the shadow loom over him and instantly stopped laughing. He looked up to see Sesshomaru glaring at him.

"You obviously know the answer if you find the question that amusing. Speak." Sesshomaru demanded.

"Hmph." Inuyasha turned his head away like a child, "Like I'd tell you anything."

Sesshomaru became more irritated and went to reach for Inuyasha's collar.

"Sit." Kagome shouted.

Inuyasha was forced to the ground, pulling him and his collar out of Sesshomaru's reach, for the moment. The demon lord looked over to Kagome, who just smiled at him. He stood up straight.

"It's more complicated than that." Kagome said, hands behind her back, "Mind if we talk about it later?"

Sesshomaru nodded and negotiations with the villagers continued, but not without some more caution on the villager's side. Hearing what the group said about Miroku, they couldn't help but wonder if the monk's intentions were actually pure. They needed help nonetheless and this is what came to help them.

After explaining what had been happening to Miroku and Sango, who insisted on being at Miroku's side, the Headman offered the group their own room to rest in until night. The group settled down quietly for a while. Miroku was dealing with Sango's glares most of the time. Kagome and Shippo were drawing with colorful instruments that Sesshomaru had not seen before. Inuyasha didn't stay quiet.

"Agh. Why do we have to stop at every village that needs help?" Inuyasha asked and looked to Kagome, "Don't you think we have more important things to do? We can't save everyone!"

"I know that Inuyasha, and right now, there are likely villages in the north, east, and south being attacked." Kagome glared at him, "We're not saving them, are we? So, no, we can't save everyone, but we can save those that need it. If something is right in front of your face, you don't just turn away!"

"I get that, but your situation takes priority!" Inuyasha said.

Kagome fell silent for a moment, a little flattered by that comment, but that wasn't the point.

"That's sweet, Inuyasha." Kagome replied more calmly, "But this could be a lead to Naraku."

"I don't smell him and you don't sense the jewel, so I d-…" Inuyasha was interrupted by a crayon being thrown at his head. He looked down to Shippo and growled. "What was that for?"

"I can't sense the jewel right now, remember?" Kagome sadly reminded him.

Inuyasha felt guilty for forgetting something so important, but being reminded calmed him. Kagome gave Shippo a kiss on the cheek and then sat up from the floor, stopping her coloring for now.

"Since I can't sense them, we're going to have to look harder than ever." Kagome explained and sighed, realizing herself how annoying this was going to be, "We can't just pass villages by if demons are involved because who knows if they have a shard?"

"Right. Yeah, I get it." Inuyasha yielded and it went silent again.

"You two." Sesshomaru called out to Miroku and Sango, "I don't want Kagome to have to explain it to me. You do it yourselves. Are you two mated or not? Monk," he turned to Miroku specifically, "Your behavior today dishonored the slayer and from your previous interactions with me, I did not think you'd stoop so low as to put your life in danger like that."

"Put my life in danger? What are you talking about?" Miroku questioned, confused.

"Did you not sense the bloodlust?" Sesshomaru motioned toward Sango, "A woman betrayed is not to be taken lightly. If I learned anything from my own Mother, it is that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"You have a mother?" Inuyasha asked.

"… I did just spontaneously appear, Inuyasha. I was **born.** I have a mother." Sesshomaru said and then put a hand up when Inuyasha looked to ask another question, "So, explain, Monk. Do you honor her or not?"

"What? Well, I… This is so sudden." Miroku looked away sheepishly.

"It is not. You've ogled her since I arrived. Explain this if you're not mated." Sesshomaru demanded.

Miroku only became more and more flustered. He didn't dare look to Sango. He assumed battle axes were growing from her eyes with each demand for answers Sesshomaru tossed out.

"We're not mated, yet." Sango spoke up as the adult in their relationship. "It's more of an engagement, something to be. He just can't help himself when it comes to flirting with women. It pisses me off sometimes, but I also trust him not to betray me. If he does, I'll cut him in half and he knows it."

Kagome began giggling like crazy, squirming around like an excited child.

"It's so nice to hear you finally sat it out loud!" Kagome clapped her hands together, "I remember watching you two by the river… It was so cute! Of course, he still couldn't help himself then…"

"Y-You were watching?" Miroku asked, embarrassed.

"Yep. We saw it all." Shippo gave a sly grin, kicking his feet happily in the air.

"Yeah, I still thought he was faking it." Inuyasha added.

"Nope. He wasn't. We're engaged alright." Sango said with a big smile.

"It's anther reason that we have to defeat Naraku no matter what!" Kagome said with determination, "I am gonna be an aunt. It's going to be so awesome. Ah! And Shippo's gonna have cousins!"

"I am?" Shippo hopped to his feet excitedly.

As the two cheered, Sesshomaru was the first to catch a new scent in the village. It was a rotten smell that reeked of fish, mud, and dirty water. He coughed and shook his head.

"Disgusting." Sesshomaru disrupted the celebration.

"That was very rude, even for you." Kagome said, appalled by what she thought he meant.

"Not your cheering or their situation. It's here." Sesshomaru stood up and looked out of the small window, "I am not so impolite I'd insult someone's engagement, demon or human. The demon that just arrived in this village smells of foul swamp water. I'm sure Inuyasha will smell it soon."

"Mm…" Inuyasha nodded and covered his nose as he stood up, "Yeah, I just got it. Ugh."

Inuyasha opened the door to begin and both he and his brother rushed out of the house without a moment to spare. As far as they were concerned, the quicker it died, the quicker its stench would as well. Unfortunately, the humans of the group realized that they'd never find the women and children that had been taken if they just kill the demon without figuring things out first. Sango and Miroku stood up and were ready to go, but were confused when Kagome didn't even move.

"No reason for me to go. I can't do anything. Just be safe." Kagome waved them off.

Sango and Miroku exchange guilty looks, but they weren't going to argue. The two rushed off on Kilala, leaving Shippo and Kagome behind, and did their best to keep up with the silver haired duo.

"I'd rather keep coloring anyway." Shippo attempted to cheer Kagome up.

"I agree." Kagome agreed and laid down to continue coloring with her son, but her worry did not fade.

Besides a cheerful tune being hummed by Shippo, the room was quiet. Shippo showed off his drawing of him, Kagome, and the rest of their friends, even Sesshomaru. He was getting better every day and so was his sense of smell. Suddenly, the same smell struck Shippo that Sesshomaru described.

"Ew." Shippo put his hands over his nose.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"That demon stinks so bad." Shippo explained.

When Kagome's expression changed from concern to horror, Shippo realized what it meant. His sense of smell may be getting better as he got older, but he was not as good as Inuyasha. If he could smell the demon, then it must have been close. Kagome picked Shippo up and sprinted out of the door in order to get to the rest of her friends, but was suddenly knocked to the ground. Something thick and heavy slammed into her side before she had a chance to see it. Shippo fell from her arms and rolled away. She winced and looked up to Shippo, who was unconscious with a bump on his head.

"Shippo!" she yelled and stood up, but it collided with her back and pushed her to the floor.

"What do have we here?" a deep, menacing voice spoke up from behind her, "A priestess, maybe? I don't remember seeing you in the village before today. Came in with that new group, didn't you?"

"Get off of me." Kagome tried pushing back against him, but he wouldn't budge.

Kagome turned to look over her shoulder. The creature standing on her was a humanoid alligator or crocodile. She didn't know the difference. It was just ugly, scaly, and really did smell horrible. What Kagome did know about him though, was that he had a jewel shard in his chest. She couldn't sense it, but she could see the small glint of pink that shined off it when it was struck just right by the moonlight.

"I'll be taking the fox." He said and dark mucky water reached over Kagome and coiled around Shippo like a snake, "Don't worry, I'll come back for you too, but just not yet. I'll let you suffer a while."

"N-NO." Kagome screamed, eyes wide with this strange and terrifying expression of hatred as she fought desperately against the demon's strength, "DO NOT TOUCH HIM. PUT HIM DOWN NOW."

The demon laughed, amused by her reaction, and lifted his foot from her back. She raised herself from the floor only to be kicked in the ribs and sent rolling away. She ignored the pain and got to her feet as quickly as she could. She charged ran at Shippo, who was being held in a murky water bubble. As she got near Shippo, the demon swung his tail around and struck her even harder. She flew into the nearby wall, breaking the wooden fence and flying farther through, landing softly into someone's arms.

"Sh-Shippo!" Kagome hurried back through the fence as the demon laughed and walked over a small hill toward the swamp. She didn't even pay any mind to the one standing behind her. She struggled, but Kagome did not stop moving until an arm wrapped over her shoulder and kept her still. "NO, PLEASE. DON'T TAKE HIM. GIVE HIM BACK. GIVE ME BACK MY SON."

"You'll seem him again, if you behave." The demon said when he caught sight of the demon holding her, "Good evening, Lord Sesshomaru. I'm sorry to leave so soon, but I must be going."

Kagome froze and was forced to watch the demon vanish into the swamp with Shippo. She stood stunned, breathing heavily. Her eyes didn't leave that spot by the swamp that they vanished from until Inuyasha showed up and Kilala landed with Miroku and Sango on her back.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Sango hopped off Kilala and walked over, "Sorry, but the ones we were fighting suddenly fled. Sesshomaru realized there was another back here an-...:

"I couldn't do anything." Kagome said and chuckled hysterically from the immense anger she felt, "I couldn't do anything. He took my son and I couldn't DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT."

"We made a mistake." Miroku sighed and got off Kilala as well, "We did not think about what the demons were after. Mother's and children. We left his targets alone, unguarded. This is on all of us."

"You knew him." Kagome said and turned around to Sesshomaru, who just now let her go, "Or at least he knew you. What did you do? Is this another one of those demons you sent at me? Why didn't you save him? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE SHIPPO? YOU COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING!"

"You are correct." Sesshomaru nodded.

Kagome's eyes widened again and she raise a hand to slap him, but he caught her wrist without a problem. She pulled away, but he refused to let her go.

"Let her go, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha warned, but stopped when Miroku put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let him speak." Miroku suggested, "Sesshomaru has a reason. I hope so, at least."

"You are correct. I do know that demon." Sesshomaru explained, looking directly in Kagome's eyes, "I also know that he's merely a soldier working for a more powerful demon, who I also know. I will help you get your son back. It may be as simple as a brief conversation or as complicated as a war. I do not know, but I do know that he does not kill his victims immediately. He holds them for a time. I also know that until he has you, he definitely will not harm the pup. Understood?"

"Wh-Why?" Kagome teared up and her knees buckled, "Why didn't you just grab him?"

Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head. Since she was just hanging there by her wrist, he gently lowered her to the ground and let her sit there. Sometimes, humans and their tears were beyond infuriating.

"If that demon died, Shippo still would have been taken by the spell." Sesshomaru continued explaining and then growled, "I have not had to explain myself this much in my entire lifetime."

"That's what happens when you're on a team." Sango said, crossing her arms, "Sure, when you're by yourself, able to do whatever you want without anyone judging you, life is easy. You don't have to make sure someone understand why you did what you did. It's all about you, but it's not anymore, Sesshomaru. It's about all of us. It's about understanding, friendship, and respect."

"I have never needed such a thing." Sesshomaru scoffed.

"That's a lie." Kagome spat the words, her head lowered, "What do you think all of this has been since your stubborn pride started all of this? Do you know why we're not overly pissed off at you for what you've done? Because we **understand** that it wasn't entirely your fault. How about me allowing you to come to my world and meet my family? Yeah, I didn't think it'd work, but I wouldn't have said yes to you trying to come if I hadn't accepted you as part of this group and decided to be a **friend.** Want more? How about not stabbing you in your sleep?" Kagome looked up to him, eyes puffy and red. She stood up and wiped the tears, glaring angrily at him as she continued on talking. "Or stopping Inuyasha from killing you because that would have been the easy way to deal with all of this? If you were some random demon, then it would have been a no-brainer. We wouldn't have second guessed just killing you, but we did. Why? Because it's **you**. Because even if we didn't like you, we do have some semblance of **respect** for your prideful, stubborn, arrogant, SELFISH, EGOTISTICAL, EMOTIONLESS DEMON ASS."

"Kagome…" Sango took a step back and hid behind Miroku. Inuyasha copied.

"Who do I hide behind?" Miroku jokingly asked them.

"I hate it when she yells like that." Inuyasha said, trembling in fear.

"What made you like this?" Kagome asked.

"Like what?" Sesshomaru asked, not liking the implication something was wrong with him.

"Like this," she motioned to all of him, "So angry, hating humans, hating your own brother, thinking that you're better than everyone, acting like you can't trust anyone! You just let a demon take the most precious thing in my life away from me and stopped me from trying to get him back. If Rin was here and I stood back and did nothing. Would you feel **anything?** Would… Would you even worry about her?"

"Are you done?" Sesshomaru asked.

Silence. Kagome stared at Sesshomaru and he stared back.

"Yeah, I'm done." Kagome nodded, defeated and looked back to the swamp.

"Once someone is inside that orb of water, they're taken back to his lair whether the soldier leading the attack is dead or alive." Sesshomaru explained, "The only thing I could have done was cut through the orb and I'm sure I'd get a lot more anger and likely a beheading if I hurt the pup."

"So, there really was nothing you could do?" Kagome asked and closed her eyes.

"He's gone." Inuyasha said.

Kagome turned around to see Sesshomaru had vanished. She just threw her arms in the air and shook her head. She couldn't believe this. He just left? What were they supposed to do now?

"Fucking bastard." Kagome spat angrily and punched the broken fence.

The punch she threw sent her fist through the wood. It wasn't the strongest of wood, but it was still wood, so Kagome's hand quickly bruised because of it. She winced and screamed at the top of her lungs, the echo going for miles and waking a few villagers at the same time. Sango hurried to her side and pulled Kagome in her arms. There was a moment that Kagome struggled, the anger she felt at herself and Sesshomaru controlling her, but she calmed down when Sango refused to let go.

"It's okay. We'll get him back." Sango comforted Kagome.

"We have to…" Kagome begged and went weak. She and Sango fell to their knees together.

.

.

Sesshomaru was off to release some of the anger that had built up over the last few days. What way to do it better than to annihilate the demon who caused his most recent problem? He knew where the demon who took Shippo was residing, so it was time to pay a visit. The soldier that saw him at the village has likely already informed the demon of Sesshomaru's presence. It wasn't long before he was at his front gate in the middle of this disgusting swamp forest. The trees were thick and the water was muddy and would be hard to maneuver through for any human, which made it a good place to hide.

"YOMIAKI." Sesshomaru shouted angrily over the gates.

There were a few guards at the entrance, but not many. This castle was not a fancy one, built with old swamp wood and quickly thrown together. When the guards did not immediately open the gate, Sesshomaru punched the thing down and made his own entrance. Guards surrounded him, pointing their spears and swords at him. The ruckus caught the attention of many more and they were all ready to do their jobs as Yomiaki's guards, but a bellow from inside the castle calmed them.

"LORD SESSHOMARU!" An Alligator/Crocodile demon walked out in armor and stood about twice Sesshomaru's height. He laughed and welcomed the demon lord into his castle.

"Listen to me carefully, Yomiaki. I have found myself in a predicament that I cannot explain and so your recent activities in that vile swamp village must cease now." Sesshomaru demanded.

"We had a deal." Yomiaki replied.

"The deal ended the moment your soldiers kidnapped a demon child." Sesshomaru shouted.

"What?" Yomiaki looked around and they all shrugged and seemed to not know what Sesshomaru was talking about, "They know not to attack demons within your land, my lord."

"I watched this happen, so unless the pup is returned, I will have to deal with this in a different manner, Yomiaki." Sesshomaru threatened and the demons raised their spears higher.

"I do not appreciate you backing out of our deal, Sesshomaru." Yomiaki dropped the 'lord' of his name quickly and turned back to his castle.

"You dare turn your back on me?" Sesshomaru growled, his eyes flashing red.

"You turned your back on our deal!" Yomiaki faced him once more and yelled, "As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who has done me wrong. If you wish to fight, then my army will slaughter you."

Yomiaki did not give time for another word. He leaned forward and fell on all fours and shot a blast of high-pressure water from his mouth. Sesshomaru, having not seen this attack before, was caught off guard and thrown back out of the "castle" grounds. He stood up quickly and charged, unsheathing his Tokijin in the process. About a hundred demons suddenly poured from the castle, something Sesshomaru had no time for. He raised Tokijin in the air and swung the sword down, releasing his Dragon Strike over a large portion of the army and sprinting with augmented speed from what opponents normally saw him fight with. As if he had gained power recently, Sesshomaru moved through Yomiaki's army as if they were nothing more than flies on the sidelines. He reached Yomiaki quickly.

"I suggest you reconsider your stance." Sesshomaru suggested threateningly.

"I think not." Yomiaki laughed.

Sesshomaru unexpectedly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and looked down to see that Yomiaki had stabbed him through the gut with his tongue. He winced and stepped back as the tongue was withdrawn. Sesshomaru still stood strong, as if the pain wasn't even there.

"I've grown more powerful in these last couple of years too, boy." Yomiaki said, laughing.

"And how is that?" Sesshomaru placed his free hand on his gut looking at the blood that seeped from his wound, as if it were more interesting than their conversation.

"I've come across a few jewel shards recently." Yomiaki boasted.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. He had never thought the jewel useful, but that recently changed when it became a possible way to reverse the mark he had on Kagome. Suddenly, the shards were important.

"I see. Jewel shards?" Sesshomaru smirked, "I'll make you a deal, Yomiaki."

"I cannot trust any deal that you make now, Sesshomaru." Yomiaki said and then laughed, "And besides, my power has grown stronger. I have an army at my side and have already wounded you."

"Yomiaki, I'm sure you realize that was a fluke." Sesshomaru stared him directly in the eyes, "I will heal this by tomorrow and return with my own army to annihilate you without having to lift a finger myself. I will rid you of your jewel shards and the humans you've been ripening since you came here."

"You really think you can defeat me still?" Yomiaki asked.

"In less than ten seconds, I've dropped eighty percent of your army with a single swing of my blade," Sesshomaru said cockily, a small proud smirk on his face, "Yomiaki, even if you could wound me in this form, what makes you think that you can stand my true demon form?" Sesshomaru placed his sword at Yomiaki's face, "Now listen. You hand over those jewel shards, every single one you have, and bring me to the pup I know your soldier took from the village tonight, and I'll leave you be. Refuse and I'll just kill you now, take them anyway, and release everything that you've captured."

"N-Now, don't be rash." Yomiaki's words trembled.

Sesshomaru may have been caught off guard by this one attack, but even with the jewel shards, he was not going to be beaten so easily. If Sesshomaru ended up in his full-demon form, Yomiaki and everything he worked for would perish. The alligator demon knew this and stood on his hind legs again. He called off his guards and pulled a jewel shard from his chest and held his hand out to his Lieutenant.

"But sir." The demon was reluctant to release the power he gained.

"We can find more later. Give them to him." Yomiaki demanded.

Sesshomaru glared at the Lieutenant, realizing that was the one who kidnapped Shippo and got him in this mess in the first place. Sesshomaru was handed the jewel shards and reassured that the two were all they had when he threatened to return if he found out Yomiaki was lying. Sesshomaru was then taken back to what these demons called their garden. He walked into a disgusting room with humans being "ripened" like fruit in strange orbs of water.

"Which one is the pup you spoke of?" Yomiaki asked.

Sesshomaru walked over to Shippo and Yomiaki stuck his hand into the orb to release the boy. The water splashed around, broken like a dirty bubble. Yomiaki handed the boy to Sesshomaru, who examined him and nodded. Shippo was fine. Filthy, but fine.

"Alright. Now, leave us." Yomiaki demanded, "You have what you came for."

"I am a demon of my word, Yomiaki." Sesshomaru nodded and began walking out.

As they left the castle gates, Shippo came to. His vision was blurry and when the first thing he saw was Sesshomaru, he jumped and squealed, ready to run away. However, he remembered the last couple of days and calmed down. Sesshomaru looked down to Shippo.

"Are you alright, boy?" Sesshomaru asked him.

"Uh… Uh'huh." Shippo nodded and looked around, "Where's Mom?"

"I'm taking you to her now." Sesshomaru replied.

Shippo blinked and then smiled widely. He jumped up to Sesshomaru's shoulder and hugged the demon lords entire head. Sesshomaru froze, stopped dead in his tracks and looked around.

"What? Looking around to make sure no one saw me hug you?" Shippo asked.

"Correct." Sesshomaru grabbed Shippo's tail and pried him off.

"I only did it to see what you'd do." Shippo said, swinging from Sesshomaru's grasp by his tail, "I won't do it again, but… thank you for saving me, Dad."

" _What the hell was that?"_ Sesshomaru's heart skipped a beat. Being called "Dad" was not expected from the fox child. He was stuck. He completely dazed out, attempting to figure out what the hell that meant. Was this another test? Was the boy serious?

"Do not call me that." Sesshomaru demanded suddenly and dropped Shippo.

Shippo fell face-first into the mucky water and jumped to his feet, the water coming up to his stomach. He coughed, having not expected it and breathed it in a bit. Seeing that, Sesshomaru picked the boy back up and watched him until he stopped coughing. Once Shippo stopped, Sesshomaru sighed.

"Do not tell your mother about that." Sesshomaru said.

For some reason, the request Shippo was just given surprised him. The confused look in his eyes caught Sesshomaru off guard. He tried to ignore it, but he wanted to know what the boy was thinking. Would he tell Kagome he dropped him in the mud? He really did not want to get yelled at again.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked him as they began walking again.

"What you said reminded me of my Father." Shippo said, sitting on Sesshomaru's shoulder and staring at the swamp water, "I remember him saying 'please don't tell your mom' when he did something bad. It was usually something funny or when he let me do something that she'd be mad at."

"I see." Sesshomaru replied.

"Sesshomaru, can I ask you something?" Shippo asked.

"Fine."

"Do you love my Momma?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Kagome's Story

Shippo was not a stupid kid and Sesshomaru learned that quickly, but the boy was still young and his head was filled with ideals. When Shippo asked Sesshomaru whether there was some sort of love he had toward Kagome, the man took a few moments to contemplate the best way of explaining things to a young demon boy. This extra time left Shippo wondering what the answer was. He couldn't come to any conclusions, but if the answer was yes, did Shippo have a new Dad now? If the answer was no, then why mark Kagome?

Before Sesshomaru allowed them to step close enough to the village where Inuyasha would grasp his scent, he stopped and stood in the stench of the swamp. He picked the child off his shoulder and set him down on a damp tree trunk. Sesshomaru admitted things about his Father's mating situation to Kagome before, so there was an understanding that he had of Shippo. He was also a young man at a time, wondering why his Father left and fell in love with another woman. Now, Sesshomaru was not aware of Shippo's situation with his biological parents, but his adoptive Mother was important to him.

"You need to understand something, Shippo." Sesshomaru spoke coldly, the young fox becoming nervous over this personal situation they were in, "I do not have love for your Mother."

"Oh, I see." Shippo's curious eyes met the muddy water below. He wasn't sad, but confused.

"I will not lie to you. She seems to be a strong willed and kind hearted human woman, but I am not one of the demons that would fall for a human." Sesshomaru explained, but in a gentler tone than he normally spoke, "I will protect her and you, as you are her son. Once her mark is removed, both of you will be free of me and I will be able to continue my life as I desire, not bound to my brother's comrades."

"Don't get me wrong, Sesshomaru." Shippo spoke up, his arms crossed, "I don't want you as a Dad."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at the comment. It ended up offending him some, especially since the young boy was a full demon and probably the only one among them that he'd normally acknowledge, especially once the boy grew. He wasn't entirely sure how to handle such an insult.

"Now, how do I say this…" Shippo tapped at his chin and nodded, "You're really strong and really cool sometimes, but you are just as weak as you are strong. Does that make sense?"

"No." Sesshomaru stated, annoyed. Was he seriously being insulted by this child?

"What I mean is that your body is strong and you have all the muscles and lots of demonic power, but your heart is weak and I don't like that." Shippo explained, "You don't use it enough. People with strong hearts use them a lot. I guess it's like a muscle you exercise in a different way, you know? It's why you easily get mad when someone insults you, even if it's a joke. I also think it's why you will never beat Inuyasha. Heart matters a lot, in lots of things, and fighting is one of them. You know how many times Inuyasha has pulled all of us out of a super scary situation because he didn't want to lose us? When you care about someone, you learn to fight harder than before to keep them. Why do you think we all get out of things alive so much, even when things go really, really bad? It's because we have each other."

"I see." Sesshomaru replied.

"You don't have anyone, so if things go bad in a super hard fight and you get really hurt, who is going to care about coming to your aid?" Shippo asked and waited for the answer.

Sesshomaru stared at the boy, thinking about Rin and Jaken. Jaken was more cowardly than he often put on, though the imp wouldn't just let Sesshomaru die if there was a chance. However, in the situation Shippo described, Sesshomaru had no doubt that the imp would flee. Rin was a child, a human child with no training. She'd try and help or she'd run for help, likely getting killed in the process. But when Sesshomaru thought on the group he now traveled with, he thought through the multiple situations where they fought for each other. They trusted the others without hesitation and either came to each other's aid or knew strongly that the others would be alright, so they didn't have to worry.

"Couldn't think of anybody, could you?" Shippo asked, his eyes looking dully at Sesshomaru, "You think that's a good place to have a kid? I don't want my Momma to rely on you because she can't. I learned a long time ago that power isn't everything. Things go bad and the unexpected happens. You have to have faith in those around you and you don't. You wouldn't be a good dad. A strong dad, sure, but not good."

The silence between the two was only filled with stares. Sesshomaru was deep in thought and Shippo worried that his offensive words may have really angered the demon, but there was no real anger in Sesshomaru's eyes. The older demon was just figuring out his own conclusions.

"I have been alone my entire life. I don't expect to ever have a child of my own, so this is not a problem for me." Sesshomaru said this confidently, but Shippo looked at him in disbelief.

"If that's the case, your heart is even colder than Naraku's." Shippo said with a shrug, and realizing how insulting that was, slapped his hands over his mouth. If it were Inuyasha, Shippo would have gotten a punch to the head and a large bump, but Sesshomaru was a different and scarier story. When he wasn't struck, Shippo looked up at Sesshomaru to see a terrifying look in his eyes: sadness.

"Being scolded twice in one day about my personality is troublesome." Sesshomaru said and grabbed Shippo by the collar, picking the slightly frightened demon fox up and holding him in front of face. "First your Mother and now you. What the hell has my life become?"

"Can I say one more thing?" Shippo asked as he was set on Sesshomaru's shoulder.

"I'd prefer not." Sesshomaru replied.

"I'm gonna say it anyways." Shippo warned, smirking.

"I figured as much." Sesshomaru sighed.

"I may not want you to be my dad, but I like having more friends." Shippo leaned forward to look at Sesshomaru with a big smile, "If you stop being so mean all the time and try to care about all of us, you could have friends too. Real ones, not the ones that are only there because you're strong. Those are users, not friends. At least, that is what Kagome says and Kagome is really smart."

Shippo received no reply from Sesshomaru. The rest of their trip back to the village was silent, however, Shippo was very aware of what he had done. He was young, but wiser than people thought. He was used to messing with Inuyasha to make him feel guilty. He doubted Sesshomaru was much different.

.

.

Back at the swamp village, Kagome and the rest were trying their best to figure out how to get Shippo back. They knew little about their enemy and making it through a swamp at night was dangerous, so trying to force a fight may get them killed. Inuyasha offered to go himself, but that made the group wary since Sesshomaru explained just enough about this enemy that they could draw a few conclusions: it was powerful, had an army, and likely had a large lair. If Inuyasha was the only one to go, it was very possible that things could go wrong and the other three couldn't rescue him. Since Sesshomaru just vanished when they needed him, they were stuck until morning and that was stressful.

In the corner of the room, with her knees tucked tightly to her chest, Kagome was trying her best to keep calm. She was very anxious and felt like she was fighting panic attacks every passing second. Sango watched Kagome, sitting by Miroku's side, the only comfort was his hand firmly grasped in her own. Inuyasha seemed calm, but everyone knew he was worried for Shippo and Kagome. The group felt helpless and each of them wanted to charge the lair, but held back for the fox child's safety.

"Sesshomaru's back." Inuyasha announced.

At first, Inuyasha was annoyed, but when he caught the second scent, Inuyasha smirked and relaxed against the wall he was leaning on. Sango and Miroku looked to the door, awaiting Sesshomaru's arrival, but Kagome couldn't find herself to look up from the floor. Shippo's absence weighed her down.

Sesshomaru's light footsteps were heard once they hit the wooden steps that creaked. They all looked toward the door and watched as the demon lord slid it open. Sango and Miroku saw Shippo sitting on Sesshomaru's shoulder and smiled, but Kagome still never looked up from the ground.

"Momma?" Shippo called for her.

Hearing his voice, Kagome's eyes widened. She quickly looked up to see Shippo watching her worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Shippo asked.

Kagome rushed to her feet so quickly that they slipped out from under her once and she fell back to the ground. It didn't stop her though. She got back up and held her arms out for Shippo, who immediately jumped into her arms. She giggled and spun around with him in her arms, kissing his cheeks and forehead so many times that a modern child would thank the heavens she didn't wear lipstick.

"I'm fine now that you're back." Kagome said, nuzzling her cheek against Shippo's.

"So, you're not hurt?" Shippo asked.

"Nothing is broken. I'll be a little sore for a while though." Kagome explained.

Shippo stared at her since her words did not lessen his concern, but when she gave him a big happy smile, he couldn't help but cheer up and return her hug too. For a moment, everyone else just enjoyed the sight.

"So, that's where you went, hm?" Inuyasha said and stood up, "Went and got Shippo without us."

"Is that a problem?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Nope." Inuyasha shook his head and pat Sesshomaru on the shoulder, "Thanks. We owe you one."

Sesshomaru eyed Inuyasha's hand as his shoulder was touched, but did nothing. He was more surprised at the peaceful gesture than anything, though his expression remained indifferent. He nodded to his younger brother and looked to Kagome, who hadn't looked that happy in a long time. Even Sesshomaru couldn't help but be lifted some by the scene. And then she had to open her eyes and look at him.

"Do not. Yell at me. Again." Sesshomaru's hand shot up as a warning.

"I won't." Kagome smiled and set Shippo down, "Hopefully, there isn't a next time, but from now on, please don't run off on your own. You had me worried."

"Huh?" Sesshomaru audibly sounded baffled by that show of care for him.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you like I did." Kagome apologized sincerely, "I said some really rude things, and I'm not saying they weren't true, because they were. I just shouldn't have been so hostile. You're a part of our group now and that is what Sango was saying about friendship and understanding. I know you're not here by choice, but you **are here**. Soon, we'll all be fighting by each other's side, and I'm hoping," Kagome gave a semi-playful look to Inuyasha, who stuck his tongue out at her, before turning back to Sesshomaru, "That we can all work together and not want anyone here to die. If you leave us and say nothing, we won't know if you need help. Yes, you're strong and powerful, but sometimes we get unlucky. I'd rather we be there for each other as… comrades, since I think the word friend carries a little too much weight to it. Anyways, do you think you can forgive me for my behavior earlier, Sesshomaru? I really am sorry."

If Sesshomaru was to be completely honest, he thought he should have apologized to her. The way she yelled at him made him think he was wrong. He wasn't used to this group mentality. Being on equal footing with someone, at least socially, was unfamiliar territory. Even his brother wasn't being the regular pain in the ass he normally was. With everything that had come to light, he was welcome here and that was a fact he could not wrap his head around. His world was turned upside down.

"Yes." Sesshomaru said with a curt nod.

"Thank you." Kagome giggled and rushed forward, not really thinking, and giving the man a hug.

Sesshomaru raised his arms away from himself and tensed. He went to speak, but couldn't get any words out, however, his jaw stayed dropped. His mind went ten miles a second and he looked to his brother, of all people, for help. Seeing that triggered something in Inuyasha's mind. Inuyasha actually wanted to help Sesshomaru.

"Uh, Kagome." Inuyasha fought laughing, but did step forward to pull the girl away from him.

"What?" Kagome asked Inuyasha confused as she was pulled away.

"I doubt he's ready for a hug." Inuyasha said and then motioned to Sesshomaru.

Kagome looked to Sesshomaru, who's softened, but uncertain expression caused her to smile. He straightened his stance and cleared his throat. Before Sesshomaru could say whatever it was he had been planning to say, Sango suddenly freaked out and pointed at Kagome's stomach.

"Kagome, are you bleeding?" Sango asked worriedly.

Everyone looked to where Sango was pointing and saw a decent amount of blood on her shirt. Kagome pulled her shirt outward to get a good look at it.

"No, that's not me…" Kagome said and looked to Sesshomaru, "Are you hurt?"

"It'll be healed before morning." Sesshomaru explained.

"Let me see!" Kagome's demanded.

"Kagome, he heals better than I do. I'm sure he's fine." Inuyasha tried to calm her down.

Kagome knew Inuyasha was correct, but she didn't care about that. She wanted to see how badly he had gotten hurt in order to bring her son back. Kagome kept looking at him, her eyes pleading with the demon, so he sighed and dropped his armor, opening up his clothing to show her. She looked at the wound and saw that it was a full-blown hole through his stomach. It wasn't just a cut, but something had stabbed him through. It reminded her of quite a few of Inuyasha's previous injuries.

"Satisfied?" Sesshomaru questioned and redressed himself.

"Yeah…" Kagome nodded and smiled, "That's why we would have preferred going with you. Maybe we could have stopped whatever did that? I don't know if we actually could have, but it is a possibility."

"It is a good thing I went alone." Sesshomaru walked farther into the room and picked a place to sit down, "I was able to figure out where the lair is and weaken their defenses. Unfortunately, I could not free the humans stuck there, but I am aware of their location because of my visit. I doubt that, even with the boy back, you all will leave them to be eaten by Yomiaki and his men."

"You're right about that." Sango confirmed.

"Because of certain circumstances, I cannot take part of your plans." Sesshomaru brought up and looked to Kagome, "In order to return the child to you, I made a deal with Yomiaki. I will allow him to continue what he's been doing as long as he returned the boy and handed over these." Sesshomaru held up the two jewel shards he collected from the demon's lair, "However, the deal is with me, not any of you. Do as you wish to Yomiaki and his men, but I must stay behind. I will give you the knowledge I gained while there."

Sesshomaru held his hand out to Kagome. She took the two shards from him.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru." Kagome nodded and rummaged through her bag until she found a bottle. With these two, the two she originally had, and the one they got from the prince a while back, they were up to five again. It was nowhere near the number Naraku possessed, but better than none.

Sesshomaru took the next hour to explain to everyone the layout of Yomiaki's lair, the soldiers he knew were left, the location of the captured humans, and what powers Yomiaki displayed. Most of the group were able to catch on easily, but Inuyasha's impatience prevented him from understanding what he was being told. Sesshomaru began to get frustrated with his younger brother. It seems the art of war and strategy was only left to him when their father perished. After attempting to explain it two times more, Sesshomaru was done. He fought the urge to punch Inuyasha in the face and shook his head.

"If you don't understand it now, you never will." Sesshomaru said and looked to Miroku, "I'm sure you can guide this fool along as you go. Just be careful of Yomiaki's lieutenant. He seems unpredictable."

"I'm sure this will be easy enough with the information you've gathered. Thank you." Miroku nodded.

"Alright. Let's get going." Sango said, already ready for battle, "Kagome, you're staying here, right?"

"Yeah. It's safer that way, for everyone." Kagome replied.

"I will guard her and the boy." Sesshomaru said.

The other three took Kilala and went on their way. Before they left, Inuyasha was the last to leave the house. Kagome waved him goodbye and told him to be safe. She received a nod as a reply from him, but the worry he felt did not fade when his eyes met his brothers. He was not fond of leaving her with him, but he had to admit that this supernatural protection the mark provided was helpful. Inuyasha nodded to Sesshomaru and left the house, sliding the door closed behind him.

After a few seconds of silence, Kagome let out a long breath. Being left behind while the others went on a mission happened before, but it wasn't often. It was usually when she was guarding someone else that she was left alone. This time, it was because she was useless and sitting aside suited her better. Luckily, Shippo was with them, but the boy was so tired that he had been asleep for the last thirty minutes of the group meeting. She doubted he would wake up any time soon, so it was just her and _him._

Sesshomaru adjusted himself as he sat there, moving away from the wall and choosing to lay back. He winced, a slight pain in his gut. He had taken many shots to the torso before, so it wasn't too bothersome. He knew it would heal within the next couple of hours, maybe before everyone returned.

"How are you feeling?" Kagome asked softly so she would not wake Shippo.

"I'm fine." Sesshomaru replied, glancing to see her curious face, "I've had larger wounds than this and they've all healed quickly. I doubt this injury will be any different."

"I know and that's good." Kagome nodded with a small smile.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and relaxed. If it weren't for needing to be on guard, he might have allowed himself to sleep. Kagome watched him and assumed he _had_ fallen asleep. His breathing was even and he looked quite peaceful. She found herself thinking about his appearance and realized that he was a handsome man. She knew it before, but it was easier to think about now. When his desire was to kill Inuyasha and sometimes her, seeing his attractiveness was hard. Sometimes, a person's personality really did impact how you saw them physically and this was a perfect example of that.

Kagome found herself examining him, or staring, depending on what point of view you'd be observing from. She became entranced by him as he laid there silently. What caught her attention most was the markings that made him so distinctive against other demons, the large fluff of fur over his right shoulder, and the beautiful silky silver hair that had grown long enough to reach his knees. These things made Kagome want to wake him up and ask questions, but what if he got mad at her?

As the silence poked at the back of her mind, her curiosity only amplified. She decided to touch the super soft scarf of fluff first. He wouldn't feel that and mission one would be complete! She slowly brought her hand over the fur and lightly ran her fingers across it. It was so soft and made her want to use it as a pillow. Then she chose to touch his hair, which was soft as well, but it was a different kind of soft. While the scarf was fluffy and comfortable, his hair was unnaturally silky.

" _Damn demons and their perfect hair…"_ Kagome thought.

While Sesshomaru was laying there, he could feel the heat off of Kagome's body get closer, but didn't move a muscle. Was she watching him? Did she need him to sit up? It wasn't often that someone touched his Mokomoko. A demon of less self-control would have snapped at her. Instead, he laid silently and decided to see how far she'd go. Why he wanted to test this, he didn't know. When she touched his hair, he felt it too. It was just a few very small strands tugging at his scalp, but he felt it. What was she going to do next? If anything.

It was then that Kagome knew she was going to wake him up and grabbed his wrist. Sesshomaru jolted upwards and looked at her like she had gone crazy, but she paid him no mind. He chose not to pull his wrist away and just watching her run the tips of her fingers along the purple stripes. Her touch was gentle, and slightly tickled the surface of his skin. When she felt the change in texture, her eyes lit up and she smiled widely. Finally, she let his wrist go.

"What was that about?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Shh." Kagome said with a small smile, not wanting to wake Shippo, so she whispered "I knew I'd wake you up when I touched those markings, so I just grabbed you instead of trying to be super gentle."

"I wasn't asleep." Sesshomaru lowered his voice and Kagome's face turned a bright red, "I thought you were just being bold. It isn't often that someone touches the fur, let alone my body."

"Is that why you freaked out when I hugged you?" Kagome asked.

"I do not like being touched." Sesshomaru said, grabbing his own wrist and rubbing it.

"You don't like it or you're just not used to it?" Kagome asked him, implying there was a difference.

"You humans are bothersome." Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head.

"This has nothing to do with me being huma-... Well, maybe demons aren't as curious as we humans are, but that's because you're all used to having interesting abilities and cool markings like that." Kagome reached forward and touched his wrist again.

Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist and just held on. She looked down at his hand and then to him. She then tried to pull away, but he wasn't letting go. He was just watching her to see how she'd react.

"O-Okay, I get it. Please, stop." Kagome begged and he let go, "I shouldn't touch you without permission. I get it and I won't do that again. I just wanted to see what they were."

"You could have asked and you don't know what hair is?" Sesshomaru asked and let go.

"No, not that. Come on." Kagome rolled her eyes at that dumb question, "This fluffy thing is like a big cotton ball, except softer. Do you sleep on it?"

"At times. It is comfortable." Sesshomaru explained, but then looked her directly in the eyes, leaning in to get a little too close for her liking, "What has you so fascinated with me?"

"We married, Sesshomaru." Kagome replied bluntly and then glanced to Shippo to make sure he hadn't woken up, "Besides, I would never say this in front of the others, but I have come to accept that you've seen every single part of me. There isn't much more to hide between us at that point."

Sesshomaru went to refute that statement of hers, but realized that it was true. Even though he had no memory of his more violently intimate actions, he had woken up on top of her and nude. He remembered everything about the sight, from the curves of her hips to the shape of her breasts. Unfortunately, thinking back to that day left little to enjoy. Her reason for being nude was dreadful and the bruises and scrapes he caused tainted the view.

"I guess you're right." Sesshomaru realized as he pushed it all from his mind, "I don't think a woman has ever seen me in that state."

"And until then, I never intentionally showed anyone all of me either." Kagome said a little annoyed and disgusted at the thought, but shook it off when she remembered something, "Well, there was a time Inuyasha got to see my chest, but he was rescuing me from this sage who had me soaking in this gross herbal bath. It was just a glance though, but knowing him, he hasn't forgotten it."

"A sage had you soaking in an herbal bath?" Sesshomaru asked and she nodded, "How?"

With that came a second moment that Kagome realized another piece of Sesshomaru's personality. When shown or told something interesting, if you're not an enemy, he wanted to know the tale. Kagome ended up explaining everything about her fateful night in Togenkyo, which led to more questions about Inuyasha's night of the new moon, meeting Miroku and seeing his Wind Tunnel, Sango being manipulated by Naraku using her brother, and so much more. They talked until the rest of the group returned. Well, Kagome talked and Sesshomaru asked a few questions and listened. It wasn't often that someone was interested in her and her stories, so she couldn't stop once she started.

"And every time he shows up now, Inuyasha wants to fight him." Kagome explained, rolling her eyes at the story, "Koga means well, but he just hasn't gotten the picture. I'm not interested in being with him."

"I believe I've met this man." Sesshomaru said, "Does he travel with two incompetent loud mouths?"

"Well, I wouldn't call them incompetent, but they're definitely loud." Kagome giggled softly.

"He aided me in protecting Rin at a time." Sesshomaru said, remembering Koga jump over him to kick a demon away from Rin, "Now I know why he was quicker than I was at the time. He has two of these jewel shards, one for each leg, correct?"

"Uh'huh." Kagome confirmed.

"I see. I still have no need for such a thing." Sesshomaru said, glancing to the small vial of shards.

"I don't think anyone should need them… They only bring pain to those who use it." Kagome explained sadly, "Koga got them and some of the clans were slaughtered. It's why we don't use them unless absolutely necessary. I ended up using it once when Kikyo and I were trapped inside a demon."

"Why are you always in danger?" Sesshomaru suddenly asked, this knew knowledge frustrating him.

"Heh, well, I travel the country all the time, and I do admit to running off sometimes, but the fact is I am a human, and bad things do happen. Luck isn't always on my side." Kagome shrugged casually, "It's why I have people like Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo to have my back. When things do go wrong, I can count on them to save me. And me being able to count on them like that, it makes me want to fight for them even more. It's strange, you know, wanting to fight for another's well-being."

"Is that not normal for you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"It is now, but it wasn't always." Kagome shook her head, "You saw a little of how my time was. We're not fighting like this. There aren't day-to-day encounters where you have to fight to survive. You don't build up this mentality for battle and glory unless you intentionally enlist in an military. For the most part, regular people live in peace and there is a… sort of working system to keep that going."

"Sort of?" Sesshomaru asked another question.

"Well, yeah. Sort of. It's a complicated thing that you really don't want to get int-…"

"THEY'RE BACK." A man's voice echoed throughout the village.

"What's happening?" Shippo sat up, rubbing his eyes as he just woke.

"I think everyone has returned. We should go welcome them." Kagome said and held her arms out to Shippo. The young fox hopped into her arms and Kagome stood up. He was still mostly asleep, so he laid his head on Kagome's chest and tried his best to wake. Kagome was going to rush out of the door with Shippo, but turned to Sesshomaru to extend an invite. "You coming?"

"I'd prefer to stay here, if that's alright." Sesshomaru requested.

"Of course. Get your rest." Kagome nodded and stepped out of the hut. As she closed the door, she stared at it for a moment. Sesshomaru was different than she thought, or he was changing. She didn't know which one it was, but she figured it was more that she was getting to know him. The demon she saw on the battlefield every time they ran across each other just wasn't there right now. He was more level-headed. It probably helped that she wasn't shooting arrows at him and breaking his armor.

"Mom?" Shippo pulled Kagome from her thoughts.

"Oh, right." Kagome realized she was mindlessly standing there and ran off.

Once Kagome closed the door, Sesshomaru watched the moon cast as silhouette if Kagome's figure on the door. She wasn't moving. She stayed for a few moments before the boy got her attention. Hearing the stories of her adventures was interesting. So many demons just passed him by, even bowed when he came through, that he never had anything truly exciting unless it was a special occasion. She wasn't ever safe and she was okay with that, even though her power wasn't strong enough to prevent anything from happening to her. She counted on those around her, not just herself, and it made her stronger? No, that's not what she said. It made her **want** to be stronger for them. Intriguing.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Realizations

Three weeks passed the group by like nothing. After the swamp village was successfully dealt with, they spent a day to rest and were on their way. Because of Kagome's inability to sense the jewel shards, they were forced to stop by every village they came across. While many people heard nothing about Naraku or any one that matched the description of his underlings, there were a few leads here and there. When rumors began sending them in different directions, it was becoming more and more frustrating to keep following these leads. A couple of false leads left Inuyasha more annoyed than the rest. He was not used to having to work this hard and often sounded like he was blaming Kagome by asking whether her powers had begun returning yet. Of course, these questions were met with glares and powerful "sits."

Sadly, Kagome's powers had not returned. She didn't know how to return her spirit from the distress that it was apparently in. She thought she was doing better. She could smile and laugh with her friends every day. Her nightmares were gone and she even felt safe under the same roof as Sesshomaru. In her eyes, things were looking up, so why her powers hadn't returned was just a mystery. It made the search for Kikyo even more important. Hopefully she'd understand what Kagome was going through, or at least have some idea about it. If not, there had to be another way to go about both of their missions.

The newest member of the party was having his own issues. While he was not displeased with the company, he felt off for the last few weeks. He watched Kagome with Shippo and his mind could not help but think back to Rin, who was probably very worried that he'd never return. The deeper the group went into the Western Lands, the more he thought about passing by his home to pick Rin up. Other things also ended up bothering him. He admitted it to no one, but there was about three days where Kagome was a little more enticing than he liked. He wondered whether Inuyasha could pick up that piece of her scent, but didn't have the courage to ask. He found himself digging through powerfully smelling herbs to help hide her scent. They helped a little, but Sesshomaru was grateful when that time of prime mating for Kagome was over. He only had so much self-control toward his _wife._

After a quick battle with a horde of miscellaneous demons that weren't really a threat, the group decided to find a place to sleep for the night. Sesshomaru guided them to a nice hot spring that he was aware of when he heard the women talking about needing a bath. He commented that in comparison to the other humans, their scents were pleasant. It was meant to be a compliment, but everyone that wasn't Kagome couldn't help but laugh at it. He was still learning which social interactions were appropriate and what wasn't. Luckily, Kagome understood that and thanked him.

They built a campfire and set everything up to sleep before they went to bathe. The men were instructed to bathe first since the women couldn't be trusted with not taking too long. Miroku and Inuyasha agreed wholeheartedly and went to bathe on their own. When Kagome and Sango looked to Sesshomaru, he raised an eyebrow. The women glared and he lifted his shirt to sniff it.

"Am I offensive?" Sesshomaru asked, not smelling it himself.

"What, no." Kagome giggled, "Do it to relax! Talk to the other guys, bond."

"Yeah, it's what we do when we finally get the chance to." Sango added.

"I'd rather do this 'bonding' with you two and the boy." Sesshomaru admitted honestly.

Sango looked to Kagome angrily, mentally asking if she could punch him. Kagome took the hint and smiled at her, shaking her head no, so Sango quickly calmed down, crossing her arms along her chest.

"He didn't mean it like that, Sango." Kagome giggled and turned to Sesshomaru, "Please, Sesshomaru. It's just how we do it. Go bathe with the men so we can comfortably bathe after."

"Is this a requirement?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Uh, what?" Kagome tilted her head.

"Can I not bathe?" Sesshomaru reworded the question.

Kagome and Sango began giggling, which turned into full on laughter. It was like a child saying "I dun wanna take a bath!" In reality, Sesshomaru did not want to be exposed around his brother and the monk. If the point of bathing together was to bond with each other, he had more interest bonding with the mature individuals in their group. That was not Inuyasha or Miroku. Sesshomaru could tolerate the monk when Inuyasha wasn't around because conversations with Inuyasha were always childish.

"If you really don't want to, then you don't have to." Kagome waved it off.

Kagome sat down next to Sango and stared at the campfire, waiting for their turn. Sesshomaru noticed that Shippo was not bathing with the other two and wondered why.

"Why do you not bathe with the men, Shippo?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I take my bath with Momma all the time." Shippo asked.

"You don't think you're too old to take baths with your mother?" Sesshomaru questioned.

"He's just a child. Leave him be." Sango told Sesshomaru.

"I mean no offense by my comment, but in the demon world, boys of Shippo's age are way too old to be bathing with their mother." Sesshomaru explained, "Many of them are already being trained to lead their clans or even thinking about taking a mate." Sesshomaru looked to Shippo, "I just assumed you weren't wanting to still be seen as a toddler. I apologize for my mistake." Sesshomaru turned from the three and made his way over to the hot springs to join the other men. He wasn't originally going to bathe, but Shippo needed a lesson in adulthood. Shippo hopped to his feet and followed. Sango and Kagome said nothing to Shippo as he left. Instead, they wondered if in the demon world his bathing with them would be seen as awkward or even revolting. He was so little, but if Kagome really thought about it, he was about Sota's age. Sota could **not** bathe with their mother. Ew.

"You know, Sesshomaru being around isn't that bad." Sango said to Kagome once Sesshomaru and Shippo had gone, "I thought it would be, but he's very helpful."

"He's trying really hard to get along with everyone." Kagome added.

"I mean for Shippo." Sango said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Shippo needs to be taught how to fit in with the demon world, not just ours." Sango explained and looked up from the campfire and to the stars, "Inuyasha was raised by humans, so he can't teach him those things. Sesshomaru just taught us something that we may have never known. To us he's a young boy, but demons mature differently than we do. Sesshomaru can help with that."

"I agree, but it weirds me out." Kagome added.

"How come?" Sango asked.

"Well, Sesshomaru and I are technically, you know, married…" Kagome explained a little awkwardly, "And Shippo claimed to understand that, so if he does, does he think Sesshomaru is his Dad?"

"I doubt that. We've only talked about removing the mark." Sango shook her head.

"I know that, but Shippo is impressionable. He followed Sesshomaru's advice without hesitating. I know it's good; if he's too old to bathe with us, I'd really rather know that, but what else can Sesshomaru tell him that may lead Shippo to think or feel differently?" Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, "He's growing up and I don't know how to raise him right. To be honest, whether the mark is removed or not, I may ask Sesshomaru to stick around for some of the important demonic parts of Shippo's life."

"It's not a bad idea." Sango smiled in support of what Kagome said.

"You think so?" Kagome lightened up when Sango nodded, "I think it'll be good for Shippo."

The women shared in a few more conversations. About twenty minutes passed and they suddenly heard yelling. Out of worry, the women stood up and ran toward the men, but were met with an awkward sight. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sesshomaru were standing opposite each other on rocks protruding from the water. Shippo was on Sesshomaru's shoulder and glaring at Inuyasha.

"Sesshomaru, beat him up!" Shippo demanded, "He's always picking on me!"

"Stop picking on the boy, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said in defense of Shippo.

"I'm not picking on him." Inuyasha retorted. "He's being a little jerk."

Kagome was about to make an involuntary noise in surprise and embarrassment, but Sango covered her mouth and the two lowered into the bushes very quickly. The men looked over, but saw nothing and the scent of the hot springs was in the way of really telling where the women were. They knew they were _near_ , but not that they were right there watching the scene. Sango and Kagome crawled along the ground to get away. Their faces were redder than Inuyasha's clothing. Once they got back to the campsite, they sat there blushing.

"Did you see them?" Sango asked.

"Uh'huh." Kagome nodded.

"All of them. All three. So, um…" Sango stuttered.

"Unexpected." Kagome said.

The two looked to each other and then smiled, suddenly laughing loudly. They fell back into a fallen log and leaned against it, relaxing as their laughing faded. The image of all three of those men were plastered in their minds now. It was a sight to never forget.

"What a view." Kagome said naughtily and the laughing continued.

Soon, the men showed up fully dressed and the girls forced themselves to stop laughing. It was their turn. They grabbed their things and made their way to the hot springs. They undressed and sat their things close together on a nearby rock. They decided to keep their hair down to wash it and slipped into the hot water. They concentrated on bathing first and got themselves cleaned up. Once their hair and bodies were washed, they moved to a different part of the spring and leaned against the warm rocks.

"Kagome, how are you doing?" Sango asked and Kagome knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I'm okay. I feel a lot better and am sleeping well." Kagome explained, "I've heard of cases where this happened to people, but never thought it would happen to me. It's just that since Sesshomaru was a victim in it as well, I don't really feel as badly as I thought I would. Instead, I'm getting over it a lot quicker than I've heard of other people being able to. Having him around helps, I think. I get to see his side of it and realize every day that I am not the only one recovering from it."

"I can tell you're at least some better. I'm glad." Sango said in relief, "Once we find Kikyo…"

"I've been meaning to ask you something about that." Kagome interrupted, "If we find Kikyo, I'm thinking about asking her to join the group."

"What? Why?" Sango asked.

"Even if she does know what's wrong with me, I doubt the fix is quick and easy." Kagome explained, "And if she doesn't know, she could sense the jewel like I used to be able to, so maybe she can help?"

"I get it, but what about Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"The mission to destroy Naraku needs to come first. Besides, he's been getting really annoyed with me because of this lately." Kagome sad sadly and then let silence follow for a few moments, "Can I tell you a secret, Sango?"

"You're falling for Sesshomaru, aren't you?" Sango leaned in and whispered.

At first it was a joke, but when Sango saw the confirming look on Kagome's face, her eyes widened.

"You are, aren't you?" Sango asked more seriously.

"I don't know." Kagome shrugged and sighed, "I recognize that the mark forces him to protect me and it's why he's around, but… It doesn't force him to be interested in what I say. He has listened to me talk for hours upon hours by now. I've never gotten to tell someone what I've gone through here."

"I listen, don't I?" Sango asked, honestly wondering whether she was messing up as a friend.

"Of course!" Kagome chuckled and put a hand on Sango's shoulder, "But you watch me every day. You see it too. With Sesshomaru **asking** me about myself, it's different. He seems interested. When we went to my time, he listened to me go on and on about the differences between here and there. He asked questions and when I try doing that with Inuyasha, he's just not interested. He's so focused on the jewel that…"

"That he doesn't have time to focus on you?" Sango said and Kagome nodded sadly, "I understand that. I felt like that with Miroku. I always thought he never noticed how I felt. If what he said was true, he gave you the credit for opening his eyes to how he was hurting me. He never realized it before."

"I'm glad he finally did." Kagome lowered herself into the water more, looking up through the thick leaves and at the night sky, "Otherwise I never would have gotten to hear that adorable proposal."

"Inuyasha hasn't really done anything like that for you, has he?" Sango asked and Kagome shook her head no, "Have you talked to him about it?"

"No, but I can predict his reply," Kagome sat up straight again and crossed her arms, turning her head away to mimic Inuyasha when he pouts, "Why would I do any of that mushy stuff?"

"Okay, you're right. Perfect imitation." Sango giggled, but soon sighed, "Kagome, be careful. I know that Sesshomaru may seem nicer now, but we don't know if he's going to revert once the mark is gone."

"Trust me, I know. I just… I don't want to say I'm falling for him." Kagome took a deep breath, "I think that he's refreshing. He's the opposite to Inuyasha in many ways, though there are some that they're alike. He listens to me and he doesn't yell at me when he's mad. He isn't so impulsive either."

"You've cared for Inuyasha a long time." Sango said almost like a warning, "Do not let something new come along and destroy your relationship with him because it's a little nice. Inuyasha is an idiot at times, but he does care for you. He fights for you all the time and even accepted Sesshomaru for you."

"I know, I know. I have thought about this a lot lately." Kagome waved her hands in front of her, "Inuyasha has been there for me too long to just betray him like that."

"And if you bring Kikyo into the mix, you will make it harder on you both." Sango added.

"Yeah… That's true." Kagome's tone calmed and she sighed, "I guess we'll have to see."

"Yeah. We will." Sango nodded and both of them looked up to the stars.

"When everything happened, I did tell Inuyasha to just be with her." Kagome remembered back to that speech she gave. "I meant it, and in a way, I still do. I don't want to keep dealing with the back and forth between Kikyo and myself. It hurts too much and I don't think it is fair for any of us."

"It's not, Kagome." Sango nodded in agreement. "As you said, we'll just have to see how things go."

The two enjoyed the rest of their bath and got dressed about thirty minutes later. When they returned to the campsite, they found that everyone seemed to be asleep. Sango laid down next to Miroku and Kagome went over to cover Shippo up when she noticed Sesshomaru sitting against a tree with wet hair. She grabbed a dry towel and walked over to him. She tapped his arm lightly and he opened his eyes.

"Here." She offered him the towel.

Sesshomaru sat up and looked at the towel, unsure of what it was for. Kagome smiled and spread the towel over his head and down his back. Sesshomaru's head lowered like a dog when it didn't want to be pet and just watched her.

"It'll dry your hair off quicker." Kagome said and squeezed his hair within it. Since Sesshomaru seemed more particular about his hair than Inuyasha, she didn't just rub the towel on it. "Do it like this so it doesn't damage your hair. Rubbing can damage."

"Thank you." Sesshomaru said and did the rest himself.

Kagome nodded and returned to her sleeping bag to see Inuyasha's eyes open. He saw what happened between her and his brother. Inuyasha stared at her and looked away a few seconds later. Kagome said nothing and chose to get into her sleeping bag and go to sleep.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do in this situation. He'd fight Koga and yell at Kagome for getting that close to him, but this was different. He didn't really feel that threatened by the wolf; Kagome chose to be with Inuyasha after all. For the first time, Inuyasha realized that his relationship with Kagome was threatened. The jealousy he felt in his heart was eye-opening.

" _Is this… how she feels every time I run off to Kikyo?"_ Inuyasha thought, bringing his hand to his chest and clutching tightly at the fabric over his heart, _"No wonder she gets so mad at me… I've been doing this to her for years."_

.

.

Over the next week, what had been getting better was becoming awkward again. Inuyasha was really quiet and deep in thought all the time. He barely talked to Kagome or anyone else, which pushed Kagome to talking to Sesshomaru more. Seeing her talk to Sesshomaru more pushed Inuyasha further away, creating a cycle that no one realized existed in order to break it.

Fortunately, the group had recently come across a rumor about Naraku's castle recently and they were able to cheer up. The details given to the group about Naraku's new castle was different than the group normally got. The castle was described to be immaculate. Hearing this and the direction they were pointed in left Sesshomaru uneasy. Instead of making a fuss, he ignored the feeling.

The group began in the direction that they were pointed; however, as they traveled, Sesshomaru became more and more anxious. Every now and then, he would stop and look at something specifically, causing the group to stop as well. They asked him what was wrong, but didn't get a straight answer from him. As they came closer to their destination, Sesshomaru stopped and stared at the mountain ahead.

"Sesshomaru, are you okay?" Kagome looked back and asked, "You seem on edge."

"This latest rumor. Where is the castle located?" Sesshomaru asked.

"It stands in a valley at the bottom of that mountain." Miroku explained and pointed ahead.

"Yes, apparently it's a beautiful palace, which is odd for Naraku." Sango explained and only added to Sesshomaru's nervousness, "The places he creates aren't normally beautiful, just big and boring."

"It's possible he did not create this one, but took it over. He's done that before." Miroku said.

"Why did they say it's beautiful though? That really isn't Naraku's thing." Kagome asked.

"There's supposedly a beautiful stone courtyard and ornate carvings along the gates." Miroku explained to the group, "But no one ever goes there because demons that inhabit it."

"Why do you ask, Sesshomaru?" Sango asked him.

When she got no answer, she looked back to see he had stopped walking. Sango tapped Miroku's shoulder and he stopped too. Noticing this, Kagome and Inuyasha stopped to look back. He looked furious, so furious that the group saw his eyes flash red. When he realized they were looking at him, a few thoughts of previous conversations about teamwork and friendship went through his mind. He needed help this time, didn't he? He looked through them all and then to his brother.

"Inuyasha…" Sesshomaru spoke up, but he sounded pained, "I… need your help."

"Uh, why?" Inuyasha asked tentatively and got elbowed by Kagome, "WHAT? THAT'S WEIRD, OKAY?"

"It's home." Sesshomaru said before Kagome could scold Inuyasha.

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked to his brother confused.

"It's our family's castle, Inuyasha. And if that despicable bastard has taken it over, that means he's captured my servants, Jaken, and he has the child, Rin." Sesshomaru told the group, his well-deserved anger taking over his voice, "I cannot do this alone. I need your help."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Aikizōha

[61 Days since the incident]

A mere two months since Sesshomaru's attack on Kagome and everything changed. Sesshomaru joined the group and was slowly accepted as one of them. Inuyasha was starting to understanding the jealousy that Kagome felt when he ran off with Kikyo, but also couldn't see his brother in the hateful light he had been used to. Sango and Miroku saw Sesshomaru as a comrade, almost a full-fledged friend. Shippo had gotten accustom to the demon so quickly that he was already using him as a shield and picking on him when he could. Above all else, the one thing that shocked the group most of all, was that Sesshomaru showed a side of himself they did not know he had. When he realized that it was his castle that Naraku was now inhabiting, he expressed just enough fear and vulnerability to ask his brother for help.

"I cannot do this alone. I… need your help." Sesshomaru looked at his brother when asking the question, his pride not allowing him to ask all of them, but they knew it was to them all.

"I've got your back." Inuyasha said with a very new determination. He was going to help his brother.

"We all do." Miroku added.

Sesshomaru shifted his gaze to Miroku, who nodded at him. He looked at everyone in the group and each of them gave confirmation that they agreed with Miroku's statement.

"Thank you all." Sesshomaru said gratefully and nodded.

The group picked up their pace. There was no idling now. Sesshomaru led the way. Kagome was carried by Inuyasha. Shippo sat on Kagome's shoulder. Sango and Miroku flew on Kilala. All of them were rushing as fast as they could. They ran along a dirt road through a forest until they came to a large open valley at the base of a large mountain with flowers that littered the ground. Sesshomaru suddenly slid to a stop, reaching out with both arms to stop Inuyasha and Kilala, therefore stopping the entire group.

"A barrier." Sesshomaru said, his voice hissing from the anger.

"Yes, a powerful one too." Miroku said.

"I've got it." Inuyasha said and set Kagome down. He pulled out the Tetsusaiga and focused until the blade turned red. Inuyasha took a deep breath and swung his blade at the barrier with all his might. The blade sunk into the barrier and it was expected to dispel, but the barrier began pushing Inuyasha back. The half-demon tried his best to keep pushing it. Yelling as he put all his strength into cutting it down.

Sesshomaru saw this and decided to aid his younger brother. He unsheathed Tokijin and swung the blade at the area that Inuyasha already cut. Demonic energy shot forward in a wave of blue lightning and the barrier broke beneath the weight of both of the brother's power. As the barrier was shredded, everyone was shocked at the sight before them. It had been an illusion in their way.

From the distance, before the barrier was broken, they had been greeted with a beautiful castle surrounded by large white stone walls. The grass had been bright green and inviting, but once the illusions was broken and the truth revealed, the group was speechless. The green grass had been burnt and nothing but dirt and ash was left. The walls of Sesshomaru's castle had been broken in at multiple areas, the gate doors broken in and laying on the floor. The roof was smashed in and evidence of fire was everywhere. Many bodies scattered about the once lush fields, blood staining the grounds.

The group looked to Sesshomaru who was just standing there. His eyes were filled with horror. His home had been destroyed, defiled by Naraku and his demons. He recognized his men strewn about, dead and rotting, having fallen in battle defending his home. The group heard him take a sharp inhale of air, as if he had gasped. Kagome walked up and set a hand on his shoulder, so his head snapped toward her. For a brief moment, his eyes were red and everyone but Kagome was ready to fight him, but he calmed. She seemed to expect the reaction and didn't budge. He couldn't hurt her. She trusted that she was safe.

"It's Kagura." Sesshomaru said, his voice low and full of rage.

Sesshomaru took a deep breath and looked to Inuyasha, his demeanor returning to normal. Inuyasha got the hint and the two darted forwards without another word. They ran through the valley filled with dead and up to the large ornate gates that had been broken through. As they came to the courtyard, their eyes fell upon Kagura, who was sitting peacefully on Sesshomaru's porch. She looked like she was sleeping, which angered him more. She defiles his home and dare rest like it did not happen?

Sesshomaru swung Tōkijin and release a blue wave of energy toward Kagura. The sudden sensation caused her eyes to shoot wide open. She had no time to dodge, but it wasn't going to hit her anyway. Sesshomaru sent the attack as a warning shot and it blew on beside her, destroying some of the entry way of his own castle. Kagura looked up to see Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's group together. It was an unexpected sight, but it would be ignored for now. As the rubble fell behind her, she stood up with her fan at the ready.

"Well, you've finally returned." Kagura said and slid her fan open. "I've been waiting here for a couple of days now. Who knew you'd leave your home and the girl unguarded for so long?"

"You dare defile my home, Kagura?" Sesshomaru began walking toward her.

"Ah, ah, ah." Kagura chuckled and pointed her fan toward Sesshomaru. "The boy, Kohaku, is currently watching over your young ward and the annoying green bug. They're not anywhere near here, so take care on what action you decide to take next, Sesshomaru. He's been ordered to kill them both if I do not send message every eight hours and the last seventh hour has gone by. If you want the message sent and the girl returned to you unharmed, along with the imp, I have a message for you."

"What message?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Now, that's better." Kagura closed her fan. "Naraku wants you to collect something for him. The wolf demon, Koga, has jewel shards embedded in his legs. Retrieve them for Naraku and your companions will be returned to you once the jewel shards are in my possession and I can deliver them to him."

The group was silent, watching Sesshomaru for any hints on what he was thinking. There were none.

"It's a good thing the jewel means nothing to you." Kagura said, chuckling before turning to Inuyasha and the group. "I have one for you guys too. I'm glad I don't have to hunt you down this time. Kikyo is currently in Naraku's custody, just like the young girl of Sesshomaru's. If you want her returned, hand over the shards of the sacred jewel. Only then will Kikyo's safety be guaranteed."

"You're despicable, Kagura." Kagome spat angrily.

"Don't kill the messenger. It wasn't my plan and it's not like I've got a choice in the matter." Kagura grabbed the feather from her hair. "Now just do as Naraku says and none of them will get hurt. I'll return here in a week to collect the shards."

With Naraku's messages delivered, Kagura flew off on her feather, leaving the group behind in a graveyard that was once Sesshomaru's home. They were shocked. The battle they expected to happen didn't and it left them all worried, angry, and unsatisfied. Rin and Kikyo were in Naraku's clutches and the only way to get them back was to trade them for jewel shards, Koga's and their own.

"What do we do?" Sango asked.

"We think and come up with a plan." Miroku said as he walked over to one of the many fallen bodies. "But at this moment, we bury them."

"Bury them?" Sesshomaru questioned the monk.

"We don't leave them like this. You knew them." Kagome explained. "So, we honor that by putting them to rest."

"I see. Thank you, but burying all of this is unnecessary." Sesshomaru explained as he looked around at the slaughter. "Most of these were servants of my castle. It is best to burn them. There are a few that deserve a grave. That I will appreciate. However, there is one thing I must do first."

Sesshomaru walked into his castle and disappeared into the darkness. Everyone else went to gather the bodies for Sesshomaru to identify. Kagome was the only one curious about what Sesshomaru was doing. As her friends worked, she went after him. The first room she entered was large entrance. Even with the debris and fallen demons riddled along the floor, Kagome was able to appreciate the ornate carvings along the walls, paintings, and other decorations that made the area quite beautiful. At the corner of her eye, she saw the edge of Sesshomaru's hair at the top of a staircase.

Kagome hurried after him, coming to the top of the stairs and looking down the hall he went. She followed him down another hall, getting distracted by the interesting demonic architecture that she was passing by. A few times, she thought she lost him, but she was able to catch the silver again. She followed him up a second stairway, but the stairs were twice as steep as the stairways that she was used to. Once she got to the top, she took a deep breath to rest. Of course, he disappeared through one of about eight doors or two halls she saw.

"Uh…" Kagome hurried down the hall, opening and closing doors quickly to try and find him. Without any activity and no candles lit, this place was getting darker and spookier the further in she went. She couldn't hear anything with how deep she was and after going down another hallway, she wasn't entirely sure she was going to be able to find her way out. A creak in the floor behind her caused her to jump. She looked behind her, but saw nothing. She couldn't sense anything either, but doubted that she would because her powers were still gone. It only made her want to find Sesshomaru faster.

Kagome wandered around for a couple of minutes and the silence was getting to her. She went through room after room, coming across what she assumed were guest rooms, baths, offices, storage, and a single kitchen. Most of this area in the castle seemed untouched. Everything was made of a dark wood and had carvings along the trim of the walls. No human castle was this well thought out and taken care of. However, she was lost.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome called out nervously, but not too loudly. She did not like being alone here. Another creak in the castle sent Kagome into a mild panic. She knew no one was there, but being alone in the strange castle made her anxious. She began running through hallways until she came to another staircase. This place had four floors and this staircase was even steeper. However, she chose to not go up another floor. "Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru, who of course was on the fourth floor, had not been aware he was being followed. Though her scent was always on his heels, he had been distracted by what occurred here and allowed his mind to let her presence go unnoticed. He didn't hear her call for him the first time, but he did the second and he could feel the pull of the mark. He quickly became irritated and put something in his haori before turning and going after her. He leapt down the stairs to see her running down another hall and turning right. He wasn't one to yell, so he walked after her instead.

Kagome didn't know where she was going and was trying to find the stairway down now. She turned another corner and came to a dead end, so she tried a door that was there. It was just a store room, so she turned back the way she came and ran again. Sesshomaru turned the corner, expecting her to stop running, but instead she ran into him and threw her arms around his waist. Kagome stood silently and just took a big deep breath to calm down. She was trembling. Sesshomaru was still not ready for this type of contact, but her racing heart prevented him from pulling away.

"You move too quickly for me to keep up." Kagome said and looked up to him. "I lost you on the third floor, sorry."

"It's fine, Kagome. Why were you so frightened?" Sesshomaru asked curiously. "There is no one here to be frightened of."

"It's dark, unfamiliar, and I was alone." Kagome said and let him go, rubbing the back of her head. "The only light came from the few windows this place has and the silence is a little unbearable. When I'm normally in one of these places, I could hear people doing something. Here, it's eerily quiet."

"I see. I do not understand why silence frightens you." Sesshomaru inquired further.

"It normally doesn't. I am just not as brave as I normally am, I guess." Kagome sighed in embarrassment, hugging herself. "If I ever get my powers back…"

"You will." Sesshomaru reassured her.

"When that happens, I think I will feel better about little things like this." Kagome said with a small smile. "Oh, did you get whatever you needed?"

"I did, but there is another in the basement." Sesshomaru explained and motioned for her to follow. He led her back through the way he had come and down the step flights of stairs. Kagome had a hard time walking back down them and ended up using his shoulder as a brace. He looked back at her and noticed her struggle. "These stairs are difficult for you?" he asked with an honest curiosity.

"Yeah, a little. Are all demon made stairs so steep?" Kagome asked.

"Yes. I assume the difference in our leg strength is why." Sesshomaru said and turned around to grab her waist. He set her at the bottom of the stairs and continued on. He did the same thing on the next and then led her to the basement. "You do not have to follow me down."

"I know, but I'm a curious human, remember?" Kagome said playfully as she looked down another steep set of stairs into completely darkness. "Can you see in the dark?"

"Not perfectly, but to a degree. I do not need light down there, if that is what you're asking." Sesshomaru said and walked down into the basement. As he got to the bottom, he looked back and held a hand out to her. She took it and walked down until he could reach and he picked her up again.

"So, what are you here for?" Kagome asked as she was set on her feet.

"An artifact that I am hoping can help us." Sesshomaru explained as he walked on.

The room was very dark. Near the stairs was okay, but everything else was too dark for Kagome to see in. As Sesshomaru walked off and the shadows began overtaking him, Kagome grabbed onto his sleeve and used that to guide her way through the basement. Sesshomaru watched her eyes dart around everywhere in search of some light, but knew she wouldn't find any, so he walked in a path that would make sure she wouldn't trip. Sesshomaru stopped, so Kagome did as well. There was silence for a few moments, leaving Kagome confused. Sesshomaru was watching her rely on him.

"You really trust me, don't you?" Sesshomaru spoke suddenly. His voice came out of the darkness for Kagome.

"Uh'huh." Kagome nodded, her hand gripping his sleeve tighter. "Why?"

"I would have never thought that you, of all people, would trust me to lead you through complete darkness." Sesshomaru said and turned to her. His sleeve left her hand because he turned, but she immediately grabbed onto his haori again. "It's interesting to observe, though I wonder if you believe the mark is what protects you here."

"What do you mean?" Kagome tilted her head curiously.

"I won't allow you to be harmed, yes, but I could leave you down here. You wouldn't be able to find your way out." Sesshomaru stated.

"You wouldn't do that." Kagome said and smiled at him.

"I wouldn't, hm?" Sesshomaru raised a curious eyebrow at her.

"I have faith in you, Sesshomaru." Kagome said and pat his chest and her smile grew. "I've learned a lot about you recently. I don't know if this is a compliment coming from me, but I hope you take it as one. You're a good man with a strong sense of honor. I wish we had all gotten to know you earlier, especially Inuyasha. If you are able to get beyond our circumstances of birth, I'd love it if you stuck around even after the mark is gone. I think Inuyasha would like to have some family, Sango said you being around was good too, and Shippo could use someone like you in his life."

"Kagome, I am not that boy's father." Sesshomaru said as clearly as he could make it. Kagome caught the worried tone.

"Sesshomaru, I am not asking you to be his father." Kagome replied smiling and giggling a little. "I am asking you to guide him, more like a mentor. I can't teach him the things a demon boy should know. You can. I was glad when you told us about the bathing thing. I would have never known."

"I see." Sesshomaru leaned down to be at eye level with her. Kagome could tell he moved and slid her hand up his chest to find where his face was. He allowed this to happen and didn't flinch when her hand came to his face. Kagome looked confused, but more curious.

"What?" Kagome asked, waiting for him to do something. "Did I say something that offended you? I really didn't mean to."

"No. I've taken the request as a compliment." Sesshomaru said, staring at her more. He couldn't place why, but for the moment, he was fascinated in her.

"That's good, so why are you so close?" Kagome asked. She could tell by where her hand was, that he was just out of the range of feeling his breath.

"I need you to stay here a moment." Sesshomaru said and brought his hand up to hers. He pulled it from his face, but Kagome could have sworn the tips of her fingers grazed his lips for a brief moment. Instead of reacting to that, she nodded and brought her hands to her chest. Sesshomaru stepped back, watching her still. She brought her hands over her heart and closed her eyes. For a few seconds, he just watched her from about ten feet away. He couldn't help it. His heart rate was up and he couldn't stop thinking about the idea of embracing her. He had to force himself out of that trance and turned himself away. He took a deep breath and hurried to the back.

Sesshomaru found a large chest and used his demonic aura to break a seal on it. The moment the seal was broken, a powerful gust of wind blew throughout the basement and rushed throughout the castle and over the surrounding lands. The air was thick with power, but it didn't feel human or demon. There was no alignment to it at all. It was a completely neutral energy that anyone within a mile could sense. Soon, the power calmed down and the air that so rapidly spread over the land rushed back into the castle and the basement, collecting around an item Sesshomaru now held.

"What was that?" Kagome asked frightened and raised her hands around her and felt around for something. She bumped into a couple boxes and her wrist hit a wooden column before Sesshomaru was back at her side. "Ow…"

"It was the unsealing of this artifact. Calm down." Sesshomaru told her. "I'll explain outside. I'm sure the others are concerned after the energy released."

"You didn't know it was going to happen, did you?" Kagome asked.

"I did not. I would have warned you otherwise." Sesshomaru replied.

"See. This is why we want you around." Kagome told him and reached out to pat his chest again. It ended up being his arm, but oh well.

"Come." Sesshomaru crouched slightly to wrap an arm around Kagome's waist and pick her up. She coiled her arms around his neck to hold on as they rushed out of the basement and toward the entrance. As expected, Inuyasha and the rest were already hurrying in to check on them.

"I can see again!" Kagome raised her arms like a delighted child as she was being set down.

"You couldn't see?" Sango asked.

"Yeah. The basement was really dark, but Sesshomaru found something." Kagome said and looked over to see what it was.

"Yes, this." Sesshomaru held up a beautiful katana. The hilt was silver and engraved with stripes that matched those on Sesshomaru's face and a crescent moon that matched his as well. The guard was made up of two crescent moons facing opposite directions. The sheath was the color of a sapphire, a deep blue. At the bottom was more silver matching the hilt. The craftsmanship was impressive, but what was most intriguing was the intense aura that radiated out from the blade. "Our father had it crafted by Totosai like the Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga. It's called Aikizōha."

"It's beautiful." Sango said in awe over the blade. "I've never seen such an elegantly crafted weapon."

"So, what's it for?" Inuyasha asked.

Sesshomaru looked to the blade and fell into his thoughts for a few moments. The group watched him curiously, waiting for an answer. Sesshomaru looked to Kagome and held the sword out to her. Kagome glanced between the sword and Sesshomaru before taking it.

"For me?" Kagome asked and eyed the weapon delightedly, but the expression fell to confusion. "I am no good with a sword."

"That blade was originally formed for a purpose like this." Sesshomaru explained. "It is the first demon blade that only a human can use."

"Only a human can use?" Kagome said and brought her hand to the hilt of the blade. She slowly pulled the blade from the sheath and power immediately began leaking from the opening. The wind around them picked up and everyone watched Kagome carefully. Slowly, her eyes began to change from brown to gold. A stripe formed on both cheeks, matching Sesshomaru's markings. Her hair lost its volume as it became more like silk, grew about a foot longer, and began turning silver. The group watched in awe, but also in fear for what the blade doing to her.

"K-Kagome?" Sango called out and Kagome shut the opening by re-sheathing the blade.

"Hm." Kagome blinked and was back to normal. She looked up to Sesshomaru. "You're giving this to me?"

"For now." Sesshomaru nodded. "With your powers gone, it will help you defend yourself. Like Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, it will take time to master. You'll need to learn what its purpose really is and use that. Tetsusaiga can only be used when protecting a human. Tenseiga is used to bring the dead back to life. Aikizōha will also have a specific purpose, but I do not know it. I only know that it will grant you enough power to survive."

"That's a damn good idea, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha smirked. "Now you can join us again. You won't have to sit on the sidelines."

"Yes, that's great! I'll still have to learn how to use it first though." Kagome said excitedly and held the sword to her chest.

"…One more thing." Sesshomaru said and motioned for them all to follow. They went up stairs again, all the humans complaining about the steepness of them before reaching the top. Sesshomaru led them to a storage room and opened it up. "Change your clothes. You need something to fight in. This garment you insist on wearing is inappropriate and not suited for battle. I cannot fathom why you've chosen to continue to wear it."

The group laughed. Apparently, the rest of them agreed with Sesshomaru, but never had the heart to tell her. It was time to cover up!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Koga

Kagome found herself in a change of clothes that everyone found more suitable for their travels. It was similar to the priestess outfit that Kikyo wore, but instead of red on the bottom, they were a similar color to the sapphire sword she just received. The back of the haori also had a silver crescent moon embroidered into it. Kagome admitted that it was quite comfortable. The only other outfit she thought to wear was Kikyo's old one, but it always felt awkward, so she just kept coming in her school uniform. She also liked that she wouldn't be stared at because of her clothing anymore.

"So, what are we going to do about what Kagura said?" Kagome spoke up as they watched the bodies of the fallen demons that didn't get a grave burn.

"Naraku currently has Rin and Kikyo in his clutches." Miroku reminded the group. "This isn't something we can take lightly."

"To get them back, he wants Koga's and our jewel shards. He has so many, we can't just give them away." Sango added.

"Is there a reason you do not kill this Koga and take his jewel shards?" Sesshomaru asked.

"He's a friend." Kagome said.

"We could probably convince him to help us get Kikyo and Rin back." Inuyasha suggested in loud annoyance.

"I'm sure he'd help, but if Kagura is meeting us here in a week, it'll be difficult to hunt him down." Miroku added. "We're on a time limit."

"Are we?" Sesshomaru asked. "Kagura said she'd be here in a week. She didn't say there would be a consequence if we weren't."

"While true, I am not willing to risk it." Kagome shook her head. "We can't leave Rin in Naraku's hands for long. I'm confident Kikyo can take care of herself, but Rin is another story. I can't imagine how scared she is right now."

"Does Naraku know how many jewel shards you have?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I doubt it." Kagome answered.

"Then give him half and Koga's." Sesshomaru suggested and the group looked warily at him. "Then you keep some in your possession and retrieve Kikyo. Of course, this only occurs if we can't kill Kagura before she flees. The only problem is whether she brings both Rin and Kikyo."

"Knowing Naraku, she'll be ordered to just bring one. He'll probably keep Kikyo since I doubt that he's aware of Sesshomaru traveling with us now." Inuyasha said. "He'll want to do the trades separately. Kagura said she'll be here, at Sesshomaru's castle in a week. Where does she plan on meeting us?"

"You don't think Kagura would have told him?" Kagome asked.

"Nah. Kagura hates him as much as we do. She does what she's told so he doesn't kill her and that's it." Inuyasha crossed his arms.

"No matter what, we know the first thing we have to do is find Koga and fast." Miroku said, giving the group a heading. "Let's get moving."

Since it was barely the middle afternoon, the group decided to get going toward Koga's mountain territory. Even though he may not be there, since the wolf demon was always traveling to find Naraku, it was the first place they knew they could look and maybe ask someone about him. The time limit pushed the group to moving faster. They didn't walk like normal. Kagome was on Inuyasha's back. Shippo rode on Sesshomaru's shoulder. Sango and Miroku rode on Kilala. They all hurried their travels on roads, through valleys, and past villages to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Thanks to the endurance of demons, the group did not have to stop until night had fallen. When it did fall, they still traveled for another hour before stopping.

"I'm hungry!" Shippo yelled angrily.

"Do not shout in my ear." Sesshomaru scolded the boy.

"Can we stop? I want something to eat." Shippo asked Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru sighed and slid to a stop. Inuyasha followed suit and Kilala landed off ahead a bit.

"The boy is hungry. How are the res-." Sesshomaru stopped when he heard multiple stomachs growling and saw sweat dripping down his brother's face. It was obvious they were all exhausted. "We should rest for the night."

Kilala suddenly collapsed. Inuyasha fell forward with Kagome on his back. Kagome collapsed with him. Miroku and Sango slid off of Kilala's back and just laid on the ground to the side of the road they were on. Sesshomaru was surprised by all of this. No one hinted at needing rest.

"Thank god." Inuyasha groaned with his face in the ground. "My legs hurt and **I need food."**

"Heh…" Kagome crawled along the ground to get off of Inuyasha. "At least you can still feel your legs. My blood circulation has been cut off for a while."

"We… We can't move. Kilala needs sleep and a treat or ten. Fish. Get her fish." Sango said, laying like a log on the ground.

Sesshomaru set Shippo down off his shoulder and walked over to Inuyasha. He picked his brother up and threw him over his shoulder, startling him enough to yelp like a dog. Sesshomaru then sat Inuyasha down next to a tree and walked over to the monk. He did the same thing and then moved to Sango, who he carried more gently and laid down next to Miroku. Kagome was next and was laid down near Inuyasha. Everyone watched this interesting show without a word. He cared enough to get them out of the road and lay them comfortably because they were in pain.

"I will hunt for food. Rest until I return." Sesshomaru told them and ran off to the forest.

"Um… Did he just…?" Miroku asked.

"Yep. He did." Sango answered.

"My brother is not the jerk he once was… It's kinda cool." Inuyasha said with a little excitement, but then had to pout by crossing his arms. "But he shouldn't touch me again. That's weird."

"That was adorable." Kagome corrected. "Reminds me of the time I was sick and Inuyasha made that gross soup."

"Right… Did you ever find out what was in that, Kagome?" Miroku asked mischievously.

"Nope and don't you dare tell me." Kagome warned him.

"Fine, fine." Miroku chuckled.

"Hey, it helped you!" Inuyasha said.

"It did. It was very thoughtful." Kagome smiled up at him and then wiggled her legs. "The feeling is coming back."

The group laid in silence, besides a few groans of pain every now and then. Their stomachs all ached as much as their muscles. Shippo jumped up and ran off into the forest the same way Sesshomaru went. Kagome called after him, but he said he'd be right back and kept on going. Kagome looked to everyone else questioningly. They all shrugged, also unsure of where Shippo was going. They took the time to rest, trusting the boy would be fine. Luckily, Sesshomaru returned soon enough with a large boar over his left shoulder. Shippo also came back, walking with a big bundle of wood in his arms beside Sesshomaru. As the two re-entered the area again, Kagome looked up first and smiled at them both.

"That is a huge boar and good idea with the firewood, Shippo." Kagome giggled and rolled onto her stomach. She winced a bit, but pushed herself to sitting position. "Thank you, Sesshomaru."

"Mm." Sesshomaru nodded as he dropped the boar, it hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Sesshomaru immediately began using Shippo's firewood to build a campfire. Sesshomaru's desire to help was a little surprising. While he had been getting friendlier, he wasn't really one to take on chores for the group like this. They found it pleasantly helpful, at least all but one of them did. Kagome watched Sesshomaru curiously, but with more worry than anything else. He wasn't acting like himself. He was rushing around, almost anxious, which wasn't a trait of Sesshomaru's.

Kagome couldn't help but worry about Sesshomaru as she noticed the changes. She pushed herself to her feet and walked over to him. As she knelt down next to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and felt his body stiffen. He looked up to her, his expression blank. She recognized that as his attempt to hide any of his problems from everyone. She gave him a worried look and he just continued building the fire.

"Take a deep breath and tell me what has you so anxious." Kagome told him. The rest of the group heard it easily since Kagome wasn't exactly trying to hide their conversation, and looked over to them. Sesshomaru got the fire going and clapped his hands together to dust them off.

"I'm fine. We need to get moving as quickly as possible." Sesshomaru said and stood up to walk to the boar. Kagome stood up and crossed her arms, not liking the answer he gave. Inuyasha cleared his throat and when Sesshomaru looked to him, he motioned back toward Kagome.

"She didn't like your answer." Inuyasha chuckled.

"I'm fine, Kagome." Sesshomaru reassured her.

"Normally, I'd think you were." Miroku was the one who spoke up. "But Kagome seems adamant that you're not being honest."

"I want to get moving. The quicker you're rested, the quicker we move." Sesshomaru said again after an irritated sigh.

"Alright." Kagome gave in when she realized he wasn't going to talk. Sesshomaru wasn't fine. He was very upset about something. He wasn't angry or frustrated about it. He was upset and that meant there was something personal on his mind. She wasn't going to ask him to reveal that in front of everyone. Kagome walked over to her pack and pulled out an empty water bottle. "Oh, darn it." Kagome sighed and turned to walk up the road, waving her water bottle to show it was empty. "I'll be right back. The river is right over there, so I'm gonna refill the bottle."

"Be careful." Inuyasha called out after her.

A moment later, Sesshomaru followed her. It was still a little weird to the group to see Sesshomaru so protective over Kagome, but it did let them be at ease. Sesshomaru would protect her at all costs because of the mark. Inuyasha decided to take this time to get the boar ready to be cooked. Kagome and Sesshomaru came to the river and she began refilling the bottle. Once it was full, she stood back up and looked to Sesshomaru with a small smile.

"Now, why are you so anxious?" Kagome asked and Sesshomaru's expression dulled. "Come on! I think I've paid enough attention to understand when something is bothering you. You're constantly on the move, hurrying us along, even doing chores you'd normally say is our responsibility. You're keeping yourself busy and I assume it is because you're worried about Rin, but the tension in your face tells me there is something extra."

"Stop paying so close attention to me." Sesshomaru said, almost pouting.

"Yeah, that's not happening." Kagome tilted her head. "I worry about my friends, so what's going on?"

"Yes, I'm worried about the girl, but I am also angry with myself for leaving her there for so long." Sesshomaru explained as he looked off in the direction of the mountain range they were heading toward. "I should have gone back to get her once I allied with you all."

"Probably." Kagome agreed.

"That is not making me feel better. Isn't that the point of these talks?" Sesshomaru was practically pouting at her.

"If you want reassurance, I'll give it honestly." Kagome told him with a small giggle. "You should have gone back to get her. Unfortunately, until now, Rin wasn't always on our minds, so I wish you had said something. We would have gladly brought her along. The reassurance comes in the fact that you now have a group of allies who will fight by your side to make sure that she comes back to you. You don't have to do this alone and that only increases the chance of Rin being rescued without anything bad happening. Then, we'll continue on our journey as normal."

"Next time, you all need to speak up when you're this tired." Sesshomaru scolded her.

"What?" Kagome tilted her head.

"Every one of you was hungry and exhausted." Sesshomaru said and pointed back to the group. "I am a demon. My endurance is much higher than all of yours. I will stop when you need it. Do not push yourselves like that again. If you end up hurt when we find Koga or Naraku, we won't be at our full strength and the help that I am supposed to have to get Rin back won't be there. I do not want us weakened."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll make sure to have everyone be clearer on that." Kagome nodded in agreement. "Honestly, we just didn't want to slow you down. We know how important Rin is. I also think that Inuyasha didn't want to admit he was having a hard time keeping up. Now that things are feeling more friendly between you two, I think he's wanting to impress his big brother." Kagome smiled happily at the thought. "It's sweet."

"He wants… to impress me?" Sesshomaru blinked, the surprise toward that showing clearly on his face. He looked back to his brother, who was in the middle of chopping up the boar. Kagome couldn't see Inuyasha from there, but Sesshomaru could and he let a soft smile sneak onto his face.

"That's a sight." Kagome said after a few seconds of taking in the view. Sesshomaru looked back to her, the smile gone. "I'd like to see it again one day."

"What?" Sesshomaru asked, unsure of what she was talking about.

"You smiled, Sesshomaru." Kagome pointed out sincerely happy. "You smiled about Inuyasha at that. I won't tell, I promise."

"Thank you." Sesshomaru said appreciatively. "Let's get back."

Sesshomaru and Kagome returned with a full bottle of water and gave it to Shippo. Sesshomaru walked over to Inuyasha and helped him carve up the boar. Kagome sat down near Sango and Miroku, watching the brothers work together and enjoying the peaceful view. The brothers cooked up the food while everyone else relaxed. Kagome found herself fascinated with her newly borrowed weapon, Aikizōha. It was so beautiful and decorated in a way that felt more personal than Tenseiga or Tetsusaiga were. There was something special about it.

Before Kagome ended up too distracted by Aikizōha, she remembered something and stood up again. She ran off back toward the river, shouting back to the rest that she forgot something. As she came to the water, she looked over the edge and waited. It took her a couple of minutes and Sesshomaru was not fond of her absence. He kept looking over his shoulder and asking Inuyasha why she was over there again. Inuyasha shrugged. He didn't know. Kagome had a habit of running off when she had something to do. Since she was in his field of view, he wasn't too bothered by it. Kagome wasn't gone much longer anyway. She returned with three fish in hand and walked over to give them to Kilala, who more than deserved a treat.

"I would have gotten more, but I'm not that good at it." Kagome said as Kilala quickly chowed down.

"Thank you, Kagome. She doesn't get it often enough at all." Sango said as she petted Kilala's head.

Soon, the boar was cooked and the brothers passed around enough meet for everyone to enjoy. Shippo ate his piece like he hadn't eaten in days. Before Sesshomaru got to sit down to eat his own, he ripped of a second piece of cooked meat and tossed it at Shippo. The piece of meat hit the boy in the head, knocking him back a bit. Shippo pulled it off his face and glared up at Sesshomaru, who just stared dully at him.

"What was that for?" Shippo asked.

"Chew your food or you'll choke." Sesshomaru scolded the child.

"You can't boss me around! If I don't listen to Inuyasha, why would I listen to you?" Shippo said as he bit down on a big bite of the meant he was given.

"You're as stubborn as my younger brother, aren't you?" Sesshomaru's left eye twitched and Shippo stuck his tongue at him.

"The brat won't listen to you. He only listens to Kagome." Inuyasha said, picking his teeth with his nail.

"Shippo…" Kagome sighed and shook her head. "Sesshomaru is right. Chew your food."

"Yes, Momma." Shippo said as he took a smaller bite and happily did was Kagome said. "I listen to Momma because she loves me. I listen to Sango too. I only listen to Miroku sometimes. They all love me and don't beat me up like Inuyasha does."

"I hit you on the head. I wouldn't call that beating you up." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"I see." Sesshomaru brought his hand to his chin, thinking about something as he watched Shippo as he ate.

"Momma, he's staring at me and it's creeping me out." Shippo said and everyone looked to Sesshomaru.

"You okay?" Kagome asked Sesshomaru.

"I'm fine. We should get moving again soon." Sesshomaru said and the group agreed.

As everyone was coming to the end of their food and rest, Inuyasha shot to his feet and looked to the mountain range they had been heading to. The half-demon grabbed the hilt of his sword and Sesshomaru followed suit, assuming the scent they both smelled was hostile. While Inuyasha recognized the scent, Sesshomaru did not and was going to follow Inuyasha's lead on this one. Sango and Miroku got ready to fight when they saw something. A familiar whirlwind came rushing toward them all and stopped about twenty feet away.

"Kill him!" Inuyasha said and ran forward with an unsheathed Tetsusaiga.

Sesshomaru charged ahead, his greater speed carrying him quicker than Inuyasha could move. Kagome realized what was happening and her eyes widened, a moment of terror taking her over. Sesshomaru's blade was quickly covered in demonic energy and he swung it down toward the wolf demon, Koga, without hesitation. Koga was caught off guard by this and had no time to dodge Sesshomaru's attack. Luckily, he stopped about two inches from the wolf demon's face. Sesshomaru didn't stop willingly. He pulled his sword back and looked over his shoulder toward Kagome, who was holding her hand over her heart and trying to catch her breath, coming down from a panic. Inuyasha suddenly burst into laughter at the look on Koga's face.

"That was priceless! You should see the dumb look on your face." Inuyasha said while laughing.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sesshomaru asked.

"SIT." Kagome screamed in pure anger at the top of her lungs. Inuyasha was very aggressively brought to the ground and ended up in a hole about a foot deep. "You idiot, Inuyasha. You made me use the mark. I am trying not to do that. You're gonna get him mad at me!"

"S-S-Sorry!" Inuyasha's muffled voice came up from the dirt.

"What the hell is going on?" Koga asked, looking around the group. Before he got an answer, he rushed around everyone to get to Kagome's side, taking her hand in his. "Hey, Kagome. How are you doing? This mutt taking care of you?"

"Mutt?" Sesshomaru walked up to Koga, his piercing eyes digging into the side of Koga's head. "You want to say that again?"

"I wasn't talking about you, Sesshomaru." Koga said, rubbing the back of his head with a laugh. "Talking about the one on the ground."

"You know my name?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.

"Yeah. We had a run in a while back, remember? You had a little human girl with you then." Koga explained.

"I remember. You helped save her. I never properly thanked you for that." Sesshomaru said and held out a hand. "Thank you."

"Hm?" Koga looked to Sesshomaru's hand and gladly took it. "No problem. Ever since I met Kagome, my clans don't feed of humans anymore."

"Speaking of that little girl though…" Kagome spoke up and looked hopeful to Koga. "We need your help."

Over the next few minutes, Kagome explained their situation to Koga. Kikyo and Rin had been kidnapped by Naraku and killed many demons at Sesshomaru's castle to get at them. The only way to get them back was to trade the jewel shards for their lives.

"Kagome, that's a lot to ask." Koga rubbed his neck and looked off in a random direction.

"I know, but we don't know what else to do. We don't know where they're being held, otherwise we'd do things differently." Kagome explained further. "Kagura is going to return to Sesshomaru's castle to collect. We're hoping she'll bring Rin and Kikyo there for them, but Naraku isn't that stupid."

"Damn." Koga clenched his fist and closed his eyes. "Naraku needs to die."

"Agreed." Sesshomaru nodded.

"This kid. The human girl. Did you adopt her or something?" Koga asked and everyone looked to Sesshomaru.

"Not exactly. I allow her to follow me if she desires." Sesshomaru explained. "I prefer not to let someone who relies on me die."

"I understand that, which means you can understand that as the leader of my clan, they rely on me to keep them safe too, so giving up a big source of my power to rescue a girl I don't know is not something they'll be happy with." Koga said and groaned in frustration. "Come on, I mean… Would you do it?"

Another question that the group was curious to hear Sesshomaru answer. The group looked to him again. Sesshomaru thought on what he said and found himself looking at Kagome. He took a deep breath and shook his head no, which made them assume he had answered.

"Not normally, no. It would be like handing over my Tōkijin to Naraku." Sesshomaru said, but his tone told them he wasn't done. "But recent… events have brought me to situations I never thought possible. Lately, I have found value in more than just my power. So, today, my answer is different than what is normal for me. Yes, I would do it because I know that those surrounding me… won't… let me down."

The entire group was astounded by the answer that Sesshomaru gave. None of them knew what to say and could only watch the demon lord as he waited for an answer from Koga. The wolf demon groaned in frustration again and looked down to the shards in his legs. He reached for them, but hesitated. This was so much to ask for over a human girl. Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes caught everyone's attention.

"You owe that child those shards." A small green demon carrying a strange two-headed staff stepped up to the group.

"Jaken? I thought you were with Kagura." Sesshomaru questioned.

"No. She left me behind and took Rin. She told me to come kill the wolf-demon for his shards to retrieve her." Jaken explained, pointing his staff toward Koga. "Since you were nowhere to be found, I traveled here on my own to try myself, but… my small stature slows me down."

"So, then you got the same message we did." Inuyasha commented.

"Well done, Jaken." Sesshomaru gave him praise he did not expect.

"Why… thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." Jaken bowed his head politely to Sesshomaru and then looked back to Koga. "Your wolves are the very ones that slaughtered Rin when Lord Sesshomaru originally met her. They took her life in the forest and left her there to rot."

"Th-They did?" Koga asked, glancing to Kagome to see her reaction. Kagome gave Koga a slightly disappointed look.

"Aye, they did. Lord Sesshomaru's power allowed him to bring her back to life." Jaken explained. "But your wolves are what killed her in the first place."

"… Damn it." Koga gave in to the request and removed the shards from his legs. "I did not know this happened, but… I need something in return. I can't hand these over and get nothing out of it."

"What do you want?" Kagome asked.

"How about a kiss?" Koga said jokingly.

"We could just kill you." Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha said in unison, their demonic auras flaring a bit.

"Okay guys. Calm down." Kagome giggled awkwardly, wondering if Koga realized the danger that he was in.

"I don't know. Why don't we call this an 'I owe you' from the Lord of the Western Lands, hm?" Koga offered up his terms with a smile.

"Done." Sesshomaru agreed, secretly impressed that this wolf-demon knew his title as well. Koga handed over the jewel shards to Sesshomaru, who handed them off to Kagome. "This was much quicker than I thought."

"We were lucky Koga was heading our way. That mountain range is a bit of a maze." Kagome said as she put the jewel shards into the bottle.

"So, what now?" Koga asked. "You guys gonna need any help against Naraku?"

"No, we'll be fine." Inuyasha balked at the idea of adding Koga to the group.

"I think we'll be fine, Koga. Thanks to you, we've got what we need." Kagome said.

"Alright, Kagome." Koga turned to her and brought her hands into his, going back to his usual flirting. "I hate leaving your safety in the hands of that mutt, Inuyasha, so b-." Koga stopped mid-sentence and looked down to Kagome's hands. He looked back up to her and quickly let go of her hands. He looked disturbed as he took a step back from Kagome.

"You alright?" Kagome asked worriedly, but Koga just stared at her. The silence was uncomfortable.

"You've been marked, Kagome." Koga seemed offended by this fact as he tried to comprehend it. "Half-demons… don't mark."

"H-How…" Kagome glanced to Sesshomaru.

"Well, since half-demons don't mark, it obviously wasn't Inuyasha." Koga said pointing back toward the half-demon.

"How could you tell, Koga?" Kagome raised her voice at him.

"Whoever marked you is powerful, so there will be some demons that can sense it." Koga explained, but he looked so uncomfortable talking to Kagome that it made the rest of the group uncomfortable as well. "It's how we know not to mess with someone else's mate. Of course, there are some demons that don't care. It's not like there is something stopping us, but Kagome… what the hell? What about In-."

"Koga, stop." Kagome demanded of him. "Things have changed. That's all you need to know."

"I understand. I hope everything goes well for you and… _whoever_ …" Koga thought for a moment and looked to Sesshomaru. "Well, shit."

"Alright, we need to go." Inuyasha pushed the group as things became more uncomfortable.

"Lucky guy. So, that's why you're around them." Koga smirked and nodded at Sesshomaru. "Congratulations, man."

"Koga, what happened to your wanting Kagome as your woman?" Inuyasha suddenly yelled.

"Kagome obviously wasn't choosing me, mutt." Koga put his fists on his hips. "I did that to bug you. You're easy to mess with. I'm not so stupid that I can't tell when a woman isn't interested in me. Apparently, you never got the message, though. Sucks for you."

"Please, stop." Kagome begged them. She lowered her head so her eyes were shielded by her hair.

"You don't know what you're talking about, stupid wolf!" Inuyasha retorted angrily, ready to fight again.

"Hey, calm down, Inuyasha. She's mated, you can't change that. I'm sorry that things didn't go your way. I do mean that." Koga waved his hands in front of himself, not wanting to fight. "Besides, Sesshomaru's strong. She's got a good mate by her side, so-."

"Will you shut up!" Inuyasha yelled at him again, getting angrier than ever before. "Stop acting like you know anything. Kagome di-."

"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru scolded his brother, cutting him off from saying anything more. "Calm down."

"But he-." Inuyasha stopped as Sesshomaru motioned to Kagome. Inuyasha looked to her and sighed. She was standing strong as an act for Koga, but her body was ready to give out at any moment. "Let's just go." Inuyasha spun on his heel and hurried off.

Sesshomaru nodded to Koga as a goodbye and used an arm to guide Kagome away from him. Koga was obviously confused, but chalked it up to Inuyasha's jealousy. Inuyasha had Kagome leave him for his brother. That sucked.

The other three that stayed quiet, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo, all followed Inuyasha with their moods a little drained. That entire conversation was awkward. Koga's support of Sesshomaru and Kagome as a couple made their stomachs turn. They definitely felt for Inuyasha in that moment. They couldn't tell Koga the truth. Who knows how he'd react?

This interaction did teach them one thing: there would be other demons that could sense that Kagome was mated with a demon. From what they observed, the demons couldn't tell who she'd be connected to, but they would definitely know that she was spoken for.

The group continued on in silence, heading back in the direction of Sesshomaru's castle. They had much more time on their hands now that they were able to get Koga's shards without much problem. Though that was a relief, the conversation that was held with the wolf demon left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Inuyasha was furious. He walked ahead of everyone and tried to keep a good distance from Sesshomaru and Kagome. At the moment, he couldn't even look at them. His envy was at an all time high. Sango and Miroku were thankful that they didn't have to deal with anything as horrible as the others currently did. Miroku's flirting was easy to deal with in comparison to this. Sesshomaru walked with Kagome at the back of the group. Kagome was holding onto them well, but Sesshomaru could smell the salt of the few tears that tried escaping the corners of her eyes.

"You're a good woman, Kagome." Sesshomaru spoke up suddenly, trying to be quiet enough that only she'd hear. Unfortunately, her friends were close enough to hear that and looked over their shoulders at the two. Sesshomaru sighed when he realized this. Kagome looked up to him surprised and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Do not let what Koga said out of ignorance of your situation bother you. We will get it removed."

Kagome brought her hand up to her neck, running her fingers along the small scars that were there. She could only nod in reply. Her mood wasn't raised, even though Sesshomaru did try. Her body began to tremble, her face distorted and more tears came flooding up.

"Inu-Inuyasha, I-I am so sorry…" Kagome strained to speak as fell to her knees, holding her hands over her face. She felt so guilty about everything and Koga had uprooted any of the confidence she had with what he said. She had been holding so much back to try to be okay for everyone. "I can't do this…" Kagome brought her hands up to her head and squeezed. "I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend that everything is okay. I… I… I need to be alone."

Kagome suddenly shot up and ran off away from everyone else. Sesshomaru turned to run after her, but stopped himself. He wouldn't know what to say to her anyway. Inuyasha was going to run after her too, feeling guilty for fighting with Koga now that he saw how it impacted Kagome. Miroku stopped him and shook his head. Sango was the one that went. Sango dropped her weapon to the side and ran after Kagome.

"Let Sango help her." Miroku said and sat down in the grass. "This is one time I don't think anything we men say will help."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Mortality

Sesshomaru had every intention of letting Sango and Kagome talk. It would have been fine if Kagome didn't just keep running. While Inuyasha and Miroku stood in silence, he could sense Kagome getting further away. Sesshomaru gave in and chased.

"Hey, let them talk!" Miroku called out after Sesshomaru, but was ignored.

"Let him go. I need to talk to you, Miroku." Inuyasha said, catching Miroku's interest.

"Oh? What about?" Miroku asked curiously. Inuyasha never wanted to talk privately.

"Do you remember how when all of this started, Kagome told me that she was moving on to take her own path?" Inuyasha said, speaking of the night that Sesshomaru returned Kagome to them after the attack.

"I recall that, yes…" Miroku eyed Inuyasha suspiciously.

"I think she is…" Inuyasha lowered his head sadly. "I think she really is falling for my brother."

"Inuyasha, I doubt that." Miroku said and Inuyasha turned to face Miroku with an expression that showed he disagreed. "I… She's traveled with you so long. I doubt she'll let a couple of months… I mean… Do you really think she'd fall for him?"

"I do and I can't blame her. He… treats her better than I do." Inuyasha sighed as he sat down. "He doesn't yell at her like I always do and they talk all the time. I see how happy she gets when he asks her questions about herself. Did you know her favorite color is blue? I never did."

"I thought it'd be green, like that outfit she usually wears." Miroku scratched at his cheek.

"I heard him ask her that. It feels like such a stupid question, but apparently it was important to her." Inuyasha said in frustration. "I never thought it was important. What's the point of having a favorite color? Who cares, right? Well, Kagome does and I never paid attention to that.

"And how do you feel about this, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked and Inuyasha shrugged. "You don't seem too upset."

"That's the thing… I'm not that upset. I thought I'd be pissed off, but even when I was fighting with Koga, it felt fake. Maybe not fake, but more unnecessary." Inuyasha lowered his head again, unsure of what to feel. "My relationship with Kagome has always been off because of Kikyo. I was jealous of Sesshomaru at first and sometimes I still feel that way, but as time goes on that jealousy is fading, and I am more interested in getting to know my brother than being with Kagome."

"I must admit that the relationship you have with Kagome is strange. I fear that any attraction you two may have had to one another had to do with her resemblance to Kikyo. And it is also possible that the constant exposure to each other made it feel more natural." Miroku explained as he leaned against a tree and looked up to the cloudy sky. "I have asked myself whether she'd feel the same way about you if Koga was traveling with us. Instead of Koga, however, it ended up being your brother and it has created a similar scenario. Kagome is a young human girl, fickle in many ways. It is possible that the only reason you two thought of being together was out of some twist of friendship. You're always together as friends, so the next step is obvious."

"She always said she wanted to be with me." Inuyasha added.

"Did she ever say that she loves you?" Miroku asked.

"If she did, it wasn't to me." Inuyasha shook his head.

"I guess we'll see where this all goes then." Miroku shrugged and looked up to the clouds in the sky. "It may end up that she does fall for your brother, which will allow you and Kikyo to come together again without problem."

"This is stupid. Stop talking." Shippo suddenly spoke up. The two had forgotten he was there. When they looked over to him, Shippo had tears falling down his face and was wiping them away. "Momma isn't gonna fall for him. He doesn't care about her. It's just the stupid mark!"

"Shippo… I, uh." Inuyasha sighed.

"You just want that to happen so you can run off with Kikyo." Shippo yelled angrily at Inuyasha, his entire body trembling in anger. "That's fine. I don't care. Go with Kikyo. You don't deserve to be with my Momma anyway. You're… You're just a jerk, Inuyasha! You too Miroku!"

Shippo wiped more tears from his eyes. Miroku and Inuyasha didn't know what to say and their silence bothered Shippo more. The young fox demon turned away and ran off, sobbing into the air. Miroku tried calling out to him, but being ignored was a trend today.

"Should we go after him?" Miroku asked.

"No." Inuyasha looked away from Miroku and stared off into the distance to think.

 **"What the hell has been going on since Lord Sesshomaru left us at the castle?"** Jaken, who had witness this entire debacle, shouted suddenly.

.

.

Kagome ran until her foot slid under a raised tree root and her body flung forward hitting the ground with a hard thud. She slid through the dirt before coming to a stop. She didn't even try to push herself up. Kagome laid there until she heard some footsteps rushing up behind her. She looked back with fear until she recognized the woman that came through the trees. Kagome pushed herself up to her feet and ran at Sango to hug her.

"Sango, I don't know what I'm doing anymore." Kagome told her, clinging to her friend tightly. "I thought I was doing okay, but I'm not."

"It's okay." Sango said softly as she brushed Kagome's hair with her hand. "You're still confused about Sesshomaru, aren't you?"

"Yes. It's been less than three months and I keep…" Kagome wiped tears from her eyes. "I keep feeling connected to him. No, that's not right. It's like I have a crush on him."

"A crush? What's that mean?" Sango curiously asked. Both the girls heard something off in the trees and turned to look. They saw nothing there, so they turned back to each other and continued the conversation.

"It's a phrase from my time. It means I'm attracted to him and want to go out on a date." Kagome explained. "It's not fully falling for him, but it's more than just friends."

"A date? That's that thing you wanted me to ask Miroku to do, right?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, it's just when you take some time to be alone together and get to know each other." Kagome explained again, her cheeks tinted red. "It's supposed to be romantic and fun, but even if I were to ask Sesshomaru for something like that, he'd never say yes. He's kinder now and very helpful. Everyone enjoys having him around, but that doesn't mean that he'll be romantically interested in me. I am human after all."

"I was worried this would happen." Sango sat down and gestured for Kagome sit down next to her.

"I know. I can't help it." Kagome sat down next to Sango. "I'm scared that I'm falling for someone that won't like me because of what I was born as. I didn't choose to be human."

"Kagome, are you sure you want to be with a demon anyway?" Sango asked.

"It doesn't matter to me. I don't care if the one I love is a demon, half-demon, or human." Kagome shrugged, showing a soft smile. "I just want them to love me and understand that I love them. I want them to want to be with me, not some other woman, ya know?"

"You're talking about Inuyasha and Kikyo again, aren't you?" Sango asked.

"Yeah. Inuyasha doesn't want me. He wants Kikyo and that's obvious." Kagome said. "So, why try to be with someone who doesn't want you?"

"You said it yourself; Sesshomaru probably doesn't want you either." Sango said a little too bluntly.

"Yeah, I know." Kagome sighed and brought her knees to her chest, pressing her face into her arms. "Maybe I should have just gone with Koga."

"Yeah, right." Sango just laughed at that idea. "Koga is not the type of guy for you. Not only have you never even been attracted to him, but he's going to marry Ayame and just admitted that he knew you weren't interested. Any feelings he may have had are gone."

"What do I do, Sango?" Kagome asked desperately. "I'm scared."

"Honestly? Give it more time." Sango told her. "The worst thing that can happen is you go for it, he says yes because of the mark, and then once the mark has been removed, suddenly he's running off to live his life while you're broken hearted and watching Kikyo and Inuyasha do mushy stuff. I told you before that a couple of months of interest is not something worth damaging a possible strong relationship over."

"I know, but I don't think I want to be with Inuyasha." Kagome raised her head up and sighed. "He's… just a friend."

"Just a friend…" Sango took in a deep breath. "Things are changing if you can so confidently say that."

"Yeah, they are." Kagome nodded. "They really are."

"We should get back before they freak out." Sango said and stood up, dusting herself off. "Time, Kagome. Everything needs time."

"You're right." Kagome took a deep breath and stood up as well, following Sango back toward the group. There was a lot she had to think about, but there was too much to do before she figured any of it out. First things first: retrieve Kikyo and Rin from Naraku.

As the girls left the area, a certain hidden silver haired demon made sure he wasn't caught. Sesshomaru hid himself behind a large tree, and as they passed, he maneuvered around the opposite way so they wouldn't see him. There was a little too much information revealed in their conversation for Sesshomaru to be comfortable showing that he had been standing there listening to them. He'd embarrass them and himself. Kagome's explanations had his mind wandering. A date? Romance? A crush? Was she really getting over Inuyasha in preference for him?

Sesshomaru stood silently as he thought about what Kagome admitted and the previous weeks played through his mind. Kagome had come to rely on him, to trust him as she did the rest of her friends. They talked on personal levels a lot and he had found himself interested in her as an individual. Something Kagome said a day or so ago, _"If you are able to get beyond our circumstances of birth, I'd love it if you stuck around even after the mark is gone."_ Sesshomaru had to admit to himself that these humans were stronger, more intelligent, and more reliable than others. For humans, they were impressive, especially when compared to the common dirty farmers that plagued most of the land. They took their lives and did something better with them, something he could respect. However, they did not choose to be human. It was a circumstance of birth, no different than his own.

" _I have a lot to think on."_ Sesshomaru thought and turned his attention back in the direction of the group. As he went to head back, he caught a familiar scent. _"What is that child up to now?"_

Sesshomaru darted off in a different direction. While his instincts told him to follow Kagome, Shippo was an important part of her life and therefore must be protected. He caught up to the child quick, catching him as he was running through some trees. With a single leap, Sesshomaru hopped in front of Shippo and swooped him up by the back of his shirt.

"HEY!" Shippo yelled, both startled and angry at whoever stopped him. Once he realized it was Sesshomaru, he calmed down and quickly wiped any evidence of tears from his face. Of course, Sesshomaru knew he was crying anyway.

"What's wrong?" Sesshomaru asked with true concern for the boy, setting him down on his shoulder.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Shippo insisted, but Sesshomaru wasn't having it. The two had a stubbornness stare down for a good thirty seconds before Shippo crossed his arms and gave in. "Inuyasha… He… I think that… I don't know anymore." Shippo wiped more tears from his face.

"Did he hit you again?" Sesshomaru asked.

"No, he's talking bad about Momma." Shippo said and caught the instant irritation from Sesshomaru. "Not that kind of bad. He's just… I heard him talking to Miroku about how Momma likes you instead of him and that means he can be with Kikyo without Momma getting mad."

"Oh, my god." Sesshomaru let the frustration-filled phrase slip from his lips as he placed a hand over his face in annoyance. Shippo watched the demon curiously, wondering what that reaction meant. Sesshomaru couldn't leave the child in suspense too long, so he sighed and looked at Shippo. "Your friends are a frustrating group. It's been less than three months since this all began. Their minds change too quickly for my liking."

"What do you mean?" Shippo tilted his head curiously.

"Your Mother wants this date thing. Inuyasha wants my approval. Miroku and Sango are acting mature about the situation, but are still supporting this sudden shift in mindset toward me. I do not understand how trust can be gained so quickly among humans." Sesshomaru vented to the child, probably something he'd regret later, but it wasn't like he had anyone else to talk to and Shippo wouldn't understand _everything._

"You know why that is, right?" Shippo asked and Sesshomaru shook his head. "They die quickly. I learned that because humans die quickly, their views of life and everything in it changes just as quickly. They do not have five hundred years to deal with everything. Many of them barely get thirty, so they have to stuff all kinds of emotions and thoughts and friends and people all into that short amount of time."

"You're a smart child." Sesshomaru was surprised by his wisdom and sincerely complimented the boy. He hadn't thought of that before, but it made sense. "I can see why my Father could accept them like he did. They're much more dynamic than any demon I've ever met."

"Does my Momma like you?" Shippo asked to bring the subject back to his own worries.

"I do not know." Sesshomaru sighed.

"Do you like her? What about without that mark?" Shippo asked.

Sesshomaru stared at the child. He could tell that it wasn't just worry that Shippo was feeling. He was terrified, but Sesshomaru wondered why.

"Why are you so scared, boy?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I'm not scared!" Shippo retorted, sniffling back tears.

"Do not lie to me. You're terrified and I cannot tell of what." Sesshomaru called him out on it.

"I thought Inuyasha was going to be my new dad. Now it might be you and I don't think you love Momma, so you won't love me either." Shippo jumped down off of Sesshomaru's shoulder and faced away from him. "I don't want a Dad that doesn't love me. My dad has to love me **and** Momma."

"Contrast to humans, things are changing too quickly for you, aren't they?" Sesshomaru asked and saw a small nod from Shippo. "This is also my struggle with these creatures. Inuyasha can handle it because he was raised among them, but you and I have difficulty keeping up. You worry about whether I could love you and your mother. I worry about how easily her mind could change if another comes along. I've been here a short amount of time and she already sees me in some romantic light. She trusts and relies on me like I've been there for years. Next year, she could have a completely new interest. Then there are the issues of aging. Fifty years from now, I will look the same and she will likely have died. Would the few years she and I could possibly have together be worth the centuries of loneliness and pain that comes from losing her to the mortality of being human?"

Sesshomaru's quiet rant went on longer than he meant to. He definitely didn't mean to let all of that out on a child like Shippo. When he realized he had been talking for so long, he looked down to the boy. Shippo was staring in awe at Sesshomaru, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"What?" Sesshomaru regained his composure quickly.

"So, you do like Momma." Shippo hopped back onto Sesshomaru's shoulder. "You obviously think about her a lot. The mark may force you to protect her, but it doesn't force you to think about her… Wait, does it? What all does marking Momma make you do?"

"Protect her from any physical harm. I can sense her location at all times. I can also sense shifts in her heart." Sesshomaru said, but got a confused look from the boy. "For example, she stopped me from killing Koga when she realized Inuyasha was trying to trick me into harming him. I was able to sense her fear and reacted accordingly to her desires."

"So, what happens if she really wants to hug you?" Shippo asked, wondering how far the mark went.

"I have yet to sense something like that and she has a habit of embracing me whenever she feels like it." Sesshomaru admitted, but Shippo instantly took that information way too far and the expression the boy showed proved it. "Damn it. Stop talking. I've said way too much tonight."

"You've said a lot, but I don't think it was too much." Shippo smiled and sat down on Sesshomaru's shoulder instead of standing. "You're getting a lot better. Remember how I said you don't use your heart and you have to so it gets stronger?"

Sesshomaru nodded.

"Well, it's working. I like having you around." Shippo pat the top of Sesshomaru's head.

"Let's get you back to your mother." Sesshomaru sighed and hurried off toward the group.

As Sesshomaru and Shippo got closer, the two of them could hear shouting from beyond the trees. As they reappeared near the group, Kagome and Inuyasha were at each other's throats, shouting over something new. Miroku and Sango moved away from the two arguing and watched from afar.

"It's not my fault Shippo ran off! He's your kid, why didn't you take him with you?" Inuyasha crossed his arms and turned his back to Kagome.

"I was kind of in the middle of breaking down! You couldn't have just watched him for a few minutes! We weren't gone that long!" Kagome shouted.

"I was talking to Miroku! The kid got upset. You go look for him!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"What the hell were you two talking about that could upset Shippo enough to run off?" Kagome asked, her voice still raised.

"That's none of your business! It was guy talk and stuff." Inuyasha yelled again.

"Will you two shut up?" Sesshomaru suddenly spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "The boy is just fine."

"Yeah, I'm right here." Shippo waved and hopped off of Sesshomaru's shoulder into Kagome's arms.

"Shippo!" Kagome embraced and kissed his cheek. "You need to stop running off like that."

"You ran off first." Shippo pouted.

"Yeah, you're right." Kagome sighed and laid her cheek on Shippo's head. "I'm sorry about that. It won't happen again. I promise."

"Then, I promise too." Shippo gave his mother a tight hug and then smiled really big.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" An irritating voice rang out from the group. Jaken stepped up to Sesshomaru and eyed his demon lord curiously.

"What is it, Jaken?" Sesshomaru replied.

"You've marked Kagome?" Jaken asked him and Sesshomaru stayed silent. However, Jaken could see it in Sesshomaru's eyes that the subject was upsetting to him. What worried Jaken the most was that it wasn't anger he saw. When Sesshomaru showed emotion toward him, it was always anger or irritation of some sort. Right now, it was worry and shame that he could see in Sesshomaru's eyes. While Jaken was not stupid and instantly figured out that the binding of his master and Kagome was likely done through erroneous means, the newly found human-like expressions he could see so clearly in someone like Sesshomaru bothered him more. Jaken took a deep breath and sighed, making it clear to Sesshomaru that he understood. "I see. This ordeal has changed you, milord, and I am not yet sure whether it is for better or worse. However, I will follow you to death no matter any misdeeds."

"Thank you, Jaken." Sesshomaru took in a deep breath.

"Of course, milord." Jaken laid his staff on his shoulder and kept to himself.

"We need to get moving." Sesshomaru decided and the group got ready to head back. However, with the extra amount of time they had found themselves with thanks to finding Koga so quickly, they did not have to rush. The group took their time and calmly made their way back toward Sesshomaru's castle. During their travels, Shippo did his best to get to know Jaken while the rest came up with a plan.


End file.
